4114. Videos of wasp moths in Yio Chu Kang Crescent forest fringe. Sep 2022.

The moths have to fool, but birds and other insects that might find these moths a tasty snack. 

 

Hubner's Wasp Moths are Batesian Mimics. They look like their model (stinging wasps and bees), but they have no actual ability to sting or bite. The adult moths have only sucking mouthparts and no jaws.

 

How can you tell if you are looking at a moth, and not a wasp or a bee? 

The antennae are a hint; 

1. Moth antennae are long and feathery.
2. Moths don't have the narrow "wasp waist" common to actual stinging insects. Their abdomen is thickly joined to their thorax.
3. The mouth of moth has a long coiled proboscis rather than chewing jaws.