Mexican tiger moth
Apantesis proxima
The Mexican tiger moth is a tiger moth from western North America and Mexico. Tiger moths are often brightly coloured, which warns hungry birds. It has even been found far away in Croatia, in Europe.
Lives in
The western United States and Mexico, and also found in Croatia
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Like other tiger moths, its caterpillars eat plants.
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)
Mexican tiger moth about 14 km/h (8.7 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It lives from Oregon and Idaho down to Nevada, Utah, California and Mexico.
2
In 2016 scientists studied its DNA and moved it into a new group.
3
Scientists know two subspecies of it.
you asked
Most asked questions about Mexican tiger moth
?Where does the Mexican tiger moth live?
In the western United States and Mexico, and it has also been found in Croatia.
?Is the Mexican tiger moth dangerous?
No. It is a harmless moth.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Apantesis proxima
- Named by
- Guérin-Méneville, 1844
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Erebidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae
- Lives on
- North America, Europe
Where the facts come from
- Apantesis proxima (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 Ken-ichi Ueda. CC BY 4.0, 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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