Glossy black idia moth
Idia lubricalis
The glossy black idia is a dark moth that lives in leafy forests. It is a litter moth, which means its caterpillars live in the dead leaves on the forest floor. They eat mushrooms and lichens instead of green leaves.
Lives in
From Canada south to Florida and Texas, in leafy forests
Wingspan
2.4 to 3.6 cm (0.94 to 1.4 in)
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It does not bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat fungi and lichens, and probably also rotting wood and dead grass on the forest floor.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🍚wings as wide as 6 grains of rice in a row⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 29 seconds
How big is Glossy black idia moth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Glossy black idia moth about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Its caterpillars help clean up the forest floor.
2
The grown-ups fly from May to September.
3
In the warm south it can have several families in one year.
you asked
Most asked questions about Glossy black idia moth
?What does the glossy black idia eat?
Its caterpillars eat fungi and lichens, and maybe rotting wood too.
?How big is the glossy black idia?
Its open wings measure about 2.4 to 3.6 cm across.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Idia lubricalis
- Named by
- Geyer, 1832
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Erebidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Glossy black idia
Where the facts come from
- Idia lubricalis (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 John B.. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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