Black Witch Moth

Ascalapha odorata — the black witch moth — is the LARGEST MOTH in North America north of Mexico (excluding Hawaii) and one of the most folklore-laden insects in the Americas. The species is widespread across Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America (its native range), with seasonal migrations carrying adults north into the US and Canada each summer. Adults are 17-24 cm wingspan (the largest individuals exceed the wingspan of small bats — Mexican free-tailed bats Tadarida brasiliensis have ~24 cm wingspan, similar to large black witch moths). The species is dramatically sexually dimorphic in coloration: males are dark brown-to-black with iridescent purple highlights and a single pale 'comma' or 'spectacle' marking on each forewing; females are larger and have a broader pale band crossing the forewings, producing a more striking visual pattern. The species' common and scientific names reflect deep cultural significance across the Americas. The species is steeped in FOLKLORE: in Mexico and Central America, the species is called 'MARIPOSA DE LA MUERTE' (butterfly of death), 'MARIPOSA NEGRA' (black butterfly), or 'PIRPINTO DE LA YETA' (jinx butterfly), and widespread folk traditions hold that the moth's appearance in a house is an OMEN OF DEATH OR BAD LUCK (especially if the moth flies into a sickroom — many traditions associate the moth's appearance with the death of the sick person within days). In Hawaii, where the species also occurs, folk tradition holds that the moth represents the soul of a deceased loved one returning to visit (the opposite interpretation — bringing comfort rather than dread). In Texas and northern Mexico, the species is called the 'MONEY MOTH' or 'BAT MOTH' — folk tradition holds that if the moth lands on you and stays for an extended period, you will come into money. The species is a dramatic SEASONAL MIGRANT — adult moths migrate north from year-round populations in Mexico and the Caribbean each summer (June-October), with documented records as far north as Alaska, the Yukon, and Hawaii. The northward migration is multi-generational and one-way (the species cannot survive northern winters; northern populations die in autumn), similar to several other butterfly species that migrate north each summer (cloudless sulphur, painted lady, monarch). Larvae feed on woody legumes — primarily mesquite, acacia, and other Fabaceae trees in the species' native Mexican-Central American range. The species is harmless to humans and one of the most-photographed and most-Googled moths in NA macro nature photography.