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Carl and Racine Erland | all galleries >> Amphibians-Insects-Reptiles: Multiple Galleries >> Insects > Cinnabar Moth
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Carl Erland

Cinnabar Moth

Southern Vancouver Island

I'd never seen one of the moths before...there was only one, but the colors were so amazing you couldn't miss it.

The cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae) is a brightly colored arctiid moth, found in Europe and western and central Asia. It has been introduced into New Zealand, Australia and North America to control poisonous ragwort, on which its larvae feed. The moth is named after the red mineral cinnabar because of the red patches on its predominantly black wings. Cinnabar moths are about 20mm long and have a wingspan of 32–42 mm (1.3-1.7 in). The bright colors of both the larvae and the moths act as warning signs, so they are seldom eaten by predators. ~ Wikipedia

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CE_20120525_10051


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J. Scott Coile19-Jun-2012 16:46
Brilliant color.