Ghost moth

Ghost moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Hepialidae
Genus:	Hepialus Fabricius, 1775
Species:	H. humuli
Binomial name
Hepialus humuli (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
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 (Hepialus humuli), also known as the ghost swift, is a moth of the family Hepialidae. It is common throughout Europe except for the far south-east. This species is often considered the only species in the genus Hepialus and a number of previously included species is now reclassified into other genera. However, other authorities retain a number of species in the Hepialus genus.

Ghost moth on a Faroese stamp

Female

Male

The male has a wingspan of about 44 mm and both forewings and hindwings are pure white (although in H. h. thulensis, found in Shetland and the Faroe Islands, there are buff-coloured individuals). The female is larger (wingspan about 48 mm) and has yellowish-buff forewings with darker linear markings and brown hindwings. The adults fly from June to August and are attracted to light. The species overwinters as a larva.

The ghost moth gets its name from the display flight of the male, which hovers, sometimes slowly rising and falling, over open ground to attract females. In a suitable location several males may display together in a lek.

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.

The term ghost moth is sometimes used as a general term for all Hepialids.

Subspecies

• Hepialus humuli humuli
• Hepialus humuli thulensis Newman, 1865 (Great Britain, Faroe Islands)

Recorded food plants

Additional species which may be included in Hepialus

Chinese authors retain a number of species in Hepialus. Most of these are placed in the genus Thitarodes by others. Species retained in Hepialus include:

Species previously included in the genus Hepialus

Species previously placed in the genus Hepialus include:

References

• Chinery, Michael: Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe, 1986 (Reprinted 1991)
• Skinner, Bernard: Colour Identification Guide to Moths of the British Isles, 1984

External links

Media related to Hepialus humuli at Wikimedia Commons