Friday 14 August 2015

Creature 318: Calyptra

Blood sucking moth

Calyptra is a genus of moth, several species of which are known as the vampire moths.

Calyptra thalictri 01.jpg
They earned this name through their habit of actively seeking out and drinking the blood of vertebrates, including humans. They use their tube like proboscis to pierce the skin and take their fill.

Photo of vampire moth

Distribution:
Calyptra is mostly found in South and East Asia, but can be found all of Eurasia and some parts of North America.

Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family:Erebidae
Genus: Calyptra

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