moth

/mɑθ/

/mɒθ/

Other forms: moths

Definitions of moth

1. noun

   a winged insect with feathery antennae, usually active at night or dusk
   types:

   miller, moth miller

   any of various moths that have powdery wings

   tortricid, tortricid moth

   any of numerous small moths having lightly fringed wings; larvae are leaf rollers or live in fruits and galls

   lymantriid, tussock moth

   dull-colored moth whose larvae have tufts of hair on the body and feed on the leaves of many deciduous trees

   geometrid, geometrid moth

   slender-bodied broad-winged moth whose larvae are called measuring worms

   pyralid, pyralid moth

   usually tropical slender-bodied long-legged moth whose larvae are crop pests

   tineoid, tineoid moth

   small dull-colored moth with chewing mouthparts

   gelechiid, gelechiid moth

   small slender-winged moths whose larvae are agricultural pests

   noctuid, noctuid moth, owlet moth

   usually dull-colored medium-sized nocturnal moth; the usually smooth-bodied larvae are destructive agricultural pests

   hawk moth, hawkmoth, hummingbird moth, sphingid, sphinx moth

   any of various moths with long narrow forewings capable of powerful flight and hovering over flowers to feed

   bombycid, bombycid moth, silkworm moth

   moderate-sized Asiatic moth whose larvae feed on mulberry leaves and produce silk

   saturniid, saturniid moth

   large brightly colored and usually tropical moth; larvae spin silken cocoons

   arctiid, arctiid moth

   stout-bodied broad-winged moth with conspicuously striped or spotted wings; larvae are hairy caterpillars

   lasiocampid, lasiocampid moth

   medium-sized stout-bodied neutral-colored moths with comb-like antennae

   Malacosoma americana, tent-caterpillar moth

   moth whose larvae are tent caterpillars

   leaf roller, leaf-roller

   moth whose larvae form nests by rolling and tying leaves with spun silk

   Homona coffearia, tea tortrix, tortrix

   small Indian moth infesting e.g. tea and coffee plants

   Argyrotaenia citrana, orange tortrix, tortrix

   California moth whose larvae live in especially oranges

   Carpocapsa pomonella, codlin moth, codling moth

   a small grey moth whose larvae live in apples and English walnuts

   Lymantria dispar, gipsy moth, gypsy moth

   European moth introduced into North America; a serious pest of shade trees

   Euproctis phaeorrhoea, brown-tail moth, browntail

   small brown and white European moth introduced into eastern United States; pest of various shade and fruit trees

   Euproctis chrysorrhoea, gold-tail moth

   white furry-bodied European moth with a yellow tail tuft

   Paleacrita vernata

   moth whose larvae are spring cankerworms

   Alsophila pometaria

   North American moth with grey-winged males and wingless females; larvae are fall cankerworms

   Galleria mellonella, bee moth, wax moth

   moth whose larvae live in and feed on bee honeycombs

   European corn borer moth, Pyrausta nubilalis, corn borer, corn borer moth

   native to Europe; in America the larvae bore into the stem and crown of corn and other plants

   Anagasta kuehniella, Mediterranean flour moth

   small moth whose larvae damage stored grain and flour

   Ephestia elutella, cacao moth, tobacco moth

   small moth whose larvae feed on tobacco and other dried plant products

   Cadra cautella, almond moth, fig moth

   a moth whose larvae feed on and mat together with webbing various stored products of vegetable origin

   Cadra figulilella, raisin moth

   moth whose larvae attack dried fruits and cereal products

   tineid, tineid moth

   small yellowish moths whose larvae feed on wool or fur

   gracilariid, gracilariid moth

   small dull or metallic-colored tineoid moths whose larvae mine in plant leaves

   Gelechia gossypiella

   small brown moth whose larvae bore into flowers and bolls of cotton

   grain moth

   moth whose larvae feed on grain

   Phthorimaea operculella, potato moth, potato tuber moth, splitworm

   greyish-brown moth whose larva is the potato tuberworm

   underwing

   moth having dull forewings and brightly colored hind wings

   Cerapteryx graminis, antler moth

   European moth with white antler-like markings on the forewings; the larvae damage pastures and grasslands

   Heliothis zia, heliothis moth

   medium-sized moth whose larvae are corn earworms

   Pseudaletia unipuncta, armyworm

   moth whose destructive larvae travel in multitudes

   Spodoptera exigua

   moth whose larvae are beet armyworms

   Spodoptera frugiperda

   moth whose larvae are fall armyworms

   Manduca sexta

   moth whose larvae are tobacco hornworms

   Manduca quinquemaculata

   moth whose larvae are tomato hornworms

   Acherontia atropos, death's-head moth

   European hawkmoth with markings on the back resembling a human skull

   Bombyx mori, domestic silkworm moth, domesticated silkworm moth

   stocky creamy-white Asiatic moth found almost entirely under human care; the source of most of the silk commerce

   Saturnia pavonia, emperor, emperor moth

   large moth of temperate forests of Eurasia having heavily scaled transparent wings

   Eacles imperialis, imperial moth

   large American moth having yellow wings with purplish or brownish markings; larvae feed on e.g. maple and pine trees

   giant silkworm moth, silkworm moth

   any silkworm moth of the family Saturniidae

   Actias luna, luna moth

   large pale-green American moth with long-tailed hind wings and a yellow crescent-shaped mark on each forewing

   Hyalophora cecropia, cecropia, cecropia moth

   North American silkworm moth; larvae feed on the leaves of forest trees

   Automeris io, io moth

   large yellow American moth having a large eyelike spot on each hind wing; the larvae have stinging spines

   Antheraea polyphemus, polyphemus moth

   very large yellowish-brown American silkworm moth with large eyespots on hind wings; larvae feed on fruit and shade trees

   Antheraea pernyi, pernyi moth

   a Chinese moth that produces a brownish silk

   Antheraea mylitta, tussah, tusseh, tusser, tussore, tussur

   oriental moth that produces brownish silk

   tiger moth

   medium-sized moth with long richly colored and intricately patterned wings; larvae are called woolly bears

   Callimorpha jacobeae, cinnabar, cinnabar moth

   large red-and-black European moth; larvae feed on leaves of ragwort; introduced into United States to control ragwort

   eggar, egger

   moth having nonfunctional mouthparts as adults; larvae feed on tree foliage and spin egg-shaped cocoons

   Malacosoma disstria, tent-caterpillar moth

   moth whose gregarious larvae spin webs resembling carpets

   lappet, lappet moth

   medium-sized hairy moths; larvae are lappet caterpillars

   webworm moth

   a variety of moth that spins a web in which it lives

   type of:

   lepidopteran, lepidopteron, lepidopterous insect

   insect that in the adult state has four wings more or less covered with tiny scales