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Sticker of Parthenice tiger moth
Bug card No. 3262 of 4,939

Parthenice tiger moth

Apantesis parthenice
Eats: PlantsMothsGardens and meadows6 legs

The parthenice tiger moth has black front wings covered in a bold net of white lines. Its back wings and tummy are orange-pink with black patches. Its bright colours warn birds that it tastes bad.

Lives in
South-eastern Canada and the eastern United States, in fields and at woodland edges
Wingspan
7.5 cm (3 in)
Top speed
about 19 km/h (12 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Has stinging hairs
The moth is harmless, but its hairy caterpillars can make your skin itchy and red. Look at them without touching.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat low plants like dandelions and thistles.
For real!Photo of Parthenice tiger moth
Picture by NCBioTeacher. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How wide are its wings?

Parthenice tiger moth wings about 7.5 cm tip to tip (3 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
wings as wide as 2.5 toy building brickscould fly across a whole football pitch in 20 seconds

How big is Parthenice tiger moth compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It has a hearing organ, like a tiny ear, on each side of its chest.

2

Both the moths and the caterpillars contain poison that makes them taste bad to animals that try to eat them.

3

Its body is stout and furry.

4

It flies at night from June to late September and is drawn to lights.

you asked

Most asked questions about Parthenice tiger moth

?Is the parthenice tiger moth poisonous?

It is toxic if eaten, so birds avoid it. Its hairy caterpillars can irritate your skin, so do not touch them.

?Why is it called a tiger moth?

Because of the bold striped pattern on its wings.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Apantesis parthenice
Group
Moths
Family
Erebidae
Classification
Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Parthenice tiger moth (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by NCBioTeacher. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this 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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