Spanish Moth, Xanthopastis timais

The Spanish moth, Xanthopastis timais (Cramer), is unmistakeable for any other moth in Florida (Fig. 1). The larvae are likewise very colorful, and have been called convict caterpillars (Fig. 2). The origin of the name, Spanish moth, is obscure, although it is possible that the name was coined by Slosson (1894), but later authors did not use the common name until fairly recently. The name is not to be confused with the “Spanish-fly,” which refers to a blister beetle in Spain (Coleoptera: Meloidae). Widespread throughout the southeastern United States, the Spanish moth occurs throughout all lowland Neotropical regions and the Caribbean, and as far south as northern Argentina. The larvae are occasional pests of lilies, mainly in Amaryllidaceae. Economic damage to lilies by Spanish moth has been noted by Biezanko and Guerra (1975), Bourquin (1935), Bruner et al. (1975), D’Angelo (1941), Figeiredo and Pereira (1944), Gundlach (1881), Martorell (1976), Monte (1932, 1934), Pirone (1970), and Wolcott (1936, 1951). Spanish moth is the same tribe (Glottulini) of the subfamily Hadeninae as the more important lily pest, the lily borer of southern Europe, Africa and Asia, Brithys crini (Fabricius). Spotted larval forms of Spanish moth appear similar to lily borer larvae (Godfrey, 1972), but in North America there is only the banded larval form of Spanish moth.