Moths of San Franscisco Bay Area
White-lined Sphinx - Hyles lineata (Lafayette Reservoir)
Franco Folini, Flickr/Creative Commons
|
White-lined Sphinx - Hyles lineata (Martinez)
Mathesont, Flickr/Creative Commons |
Achemon Sphinx - Eumorpha achemon (Geyserville)
Katherine Zsolt |
California Oak Moth - Phryganidia californica (Golden Gate Park)
Donald Hobern, Flickr/Creative Commons |
Polyphemus Moth - Antheraea polyphemus (Mount Diablo)
Mathesont, Flickr/Creative Commons |
Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth - Malacosoma disstria (Santa Cruz County)
J. Maughn, Flickr/Creative Commons |
Forage Looper - Caenurgina erechtea (Mount Diablo) |
American Dun-bar Moth - Cosmia calami (Mount Diablo) |
Robert (Mathesont) / Flickr, Creative Commons
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to around 144 species of butterflies. You can find them in all types of habitats including urban areas. The Bay Area has the highest density of endangered butterfly species in the nation. The Western Pygmy Blue is the smallest butterfly in the United States. The Monarch over-winters in large numbers at several Bay Area locations. The Gulf Fritillary is a non-native species that has successfully colonized parts of the East and South Bay.
Moths of the Bay Area
Some local Moth species:
- White-lined Sphinx - Hyles lineata
- Achemon Sphinx - Eumorpha achemon
- Polyphemus Moth - Antheraea polyphemus
- Forage Looper - Caenurgina erechtea
- American Dun-bar Moth - Cosmia calami
- Forest Tent Caterpillar Moth - Malacosoma disstria
- California Oak Moth - Phryganidia californica
Checklists
The following links lead to comprehensive checklists generated on the Moths and Moths of North America website (BAMONA). These lists include links to detailed pages for each species, including photographs and sightings.
Some more informal lists:
- Common SF Bay Area Moths, a guide on iNaturalist
...link
Resources
- The Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) project site with details about each species and maps showing sight reports.
...link
- North American Moth Photographers Group - a Digital Guide to Moth Identification. Lots of moth photos and distribution maps.
...link
- Sharp, nice photographs of local butterflies posted by members of our Flickr group
...link
Moth Articles and Links
- List of San Francisco Moths
...link
- California Oak Moth - Phryganidia californica by Robert Badaracco, City of Palo Alto Dept. of Community Services.
...link
- A new species of moth - Bucculatrix dominatrix - was discovered in the Bay Area in 1983.
...link
|
