I found an Imperial Moth dead on a sidewalk with decayed wings and half-gone abdomen. I thought maybe something took a bite out of it but now I’m not as sure. I saw another naturalist account post from 2024 of a very similar image of an Imperial Moth with a missing lower abdomen so it seemed like a pattern? If anyone knows what could’ve happened, please educate me!!
There are several explanations for this, I think. For example:
- The moth died by itself of ‘old age’. The body was then found by bugs like ants and beetles, that took the abdomen apart and from the opening entered the thorax. The wings have no nutritious value, so they are left alone and still attached to the thorax. This seems like the best explanation for this particular case, because the wings look worn, from being used for a ‘long time’.
- The moth was caught by a bird or other predator. Like the bugs, they only ate the nutritious abdomen and discarded the useless wings.
Thank you! Didn’t even think of bugs eating away at it too!!
I frequently sort through moth traps to do identification work, and there are always some unidentifiably damaged moths that must be discarded in the bottom of the trap. I tend to dump these out on my porch, and without fail, ants have come and chewed off the abdomens of the large ones within hours. The abdomen is a lot softer than the thorax, and it’s easy for ants to disassemble and take away. I think it’s very likely that both these imperials were scavenged by ants as soon as they died, as that’s what typically happens to freshly dead moths when left outside.