Ghost moth

For the New Zealand moth with the same common name, see Heloxycanus patricki.
For the South and Central American moth, see Thysania agrippina.

Ghost moth
Female
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hepialidae
Genus: Hepialus
Fabricius, 1775
Species:
H. humuli
Binomial name
Hepialus humuli
Synonyms
List
  • Genus:
    • Hepiolus Illiger, 1801
    • Epialus Agassiz, 1847
    • Epiolus Agassiz, 1847
    • Tephus Wallengren, 1869
    Species:
    • Noctua humuli Linnaeus, 1758
    • Hepialus thulensis Newman, 1865
    • Hepialus humulator Haworth, 1802
    • Hepialus hethlandica Staudinger, 1871
    • Hepialus rosea Petersen, 1902
    • Hepialus albida Spuler, 1910
    • Hepialus azuga Pfitzner, 1912
    • Hepialus grandis Pfitzner, 1912
    • Hepialus dannenbergi Stephan, 1923
    • Hepialus pusillus Stephan, 1923
    • Hepialus rufomaculata Lempke, 1938
    • Hepialus albida Bytinski-Salz, 1939
    • Hepialus roseoornata Bytinski-Salz, 1939
    • Hepialus uniformis Bytinski-Salz, 1939
    • Hepialus faeroensis Dahl, 1954
    • Hepialus fumosa Cockayne, 1955
    • Hepialus radiata Cockayne, 1955
    • Hepialus postnigrescens Lempke, 1961
    • Hepialus postrufescens Lempke, 1961
    • Hepialus griseomaculata van Wisselingh, 1965
    • Hepialus thuleus

The ghost moth or ghost swift (Hepialus humuli) is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is common throughout Europe, except for the far south-east.

Female ghost moths are larger than males, and exhibit sexual dimorphism with their differences in size and wing color. The adults fly from June to August and are attracted to light. The species overwinters as a larva.[1] The larva is whitish and maggot-like and feeds underground on the roots of a variety of wild and cultivated plants (see list below). The species can be an economically significant pest in forest nurseries.[2]

The term ghost moth is sometimes used as a general term for all hepialids. The ghost moth gets its name from the hovering display flight of the male, sometimes slowly rising and falling, over open ground to attract females. In a suitable location several males may display together in a lek.[3]

  1. ^ Alford, David V. (2012-05-30). Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers: A Colour Handbook, Second Edition. CRC Press. ISBN 9781840766288.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).