Yellow-tail moth
The yellow-tail moth is snowy white all over, except for a bright yellow tuft at the end of its body. It flies at night in summer and loves bright lights. When something touches it, it falls over and pretends to be dead.
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Fun facts
The mother covers her eggs with the yellow fluff from her tail to keep them safe.
Its caterpillar is black with a brick-red stripe down its back and white stripes on its sides.
The caterpillars sleep through the winter on their own, each one alone.
When resting, it folds its wings steeply over its back like a little roof.
Most asked questions about Yellow-tail moth
?Is the yellow-tail moth dangerous?
No. The moth is harmless, but it is best not to touch the hairy caterpillars.
?Why is it called the yellow-tail?
Because it is all white except for a bright yellow tip at the end of its body.
?How big is the yellow-tail moth?
Its wings are about 35 to 45 millimetres across. Females are usually bigger.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Sphrageidus similis
- Named by
- Füssli, 1775
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Erebidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae
- Lives on
- Europe, Asia
- Also known as
- Yellow-tail, Goldtail moth, Swan moth
Where the facts come from
- Yellow-tail (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Charles J. Sharp. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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