Black witch
The black witch is a huge dark moth that flies at night. With its wings open it looks a bit like a bat. Its brown wings shimmer with hints of purple and pink, and each front wing has a little spot shaped like a comma.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
How big is Black witch compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
It is the biggest moth of its family group in the mainland United States. A female's wings can be 24 centimetres across.
Females have a white band across their wings. Males are smaller, darker and have no band.
Every summer some black witches fly far to the north. One was even caught next to Lake Superior.
In the Bahamas people call it the money moth and say that if one lands on you, money is coming your way.
Its caterpillar is big too, up to 7 centimetres long, with black and greenish-brown spots and stripes.
Most asked questions about Black witch
?Is the black witch moth dangerous?
No. It does not bite or sting and is completely harmless.
?How big is a black witch moth?
Its wings can be up to 24 centimetres across in females and about 12 centimetres in males.
?What does the black witch moth eat?
Grown-ups drink juice from overripe fruit like bananas, and caterpillars eat leaves.
Myth buster
Myth: If a black witch flies into your house, someone will die.
Truth: That is only an old story. It is a harmless night moth that is just looking for a place to rest.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Ascalapha odorata
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Erebidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae
- Lives on
- North America, South America, Australia and Oceania
- Also known as
- Duppy bat, Money moth, Money bat
Where the facts come from
- Ascalapha odorata (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 hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.
Atlas moth
Luna moth
Hummingbird hawk-moth
Domestic silk moth
Isabella tiger moth
Polyphemus moth
Giant Asian mantis
Discoid cockroach
Acacia ant
Goliath birdwing
Peppermint stick insect
Conehead termite.JPG){kind=link}