Head to head
Cinnabar Moth vs Isabella Tiger Moth
Cinnabar Moth
VS Isabella Tiger Moth
The cinnabar moth and Isabella tiger moth are both tiger moths whose caterpillars are better known than the adults, one in Europe and the other in North America.
| Cinnabar Moth | Isabella Tiger Moth | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Tyria jacobaeae | Pyrrharctia isabella |
| Adult moth | Black-and-crimson warning colours, flying by day | A plain, dull yellowish-orange moth with a few small dark spots |
| Caterpillar | Banded bright orange and black, feeding together in groups on ragwort and groundsel | The fuzzy black-and-reddish-brown woolly bear, feeding on dandelions, plantains, and grasses |
| Defence | Stores toxic chemicals from ragwort, making it distasteful to predators | Produces natural compounds that let it survive being frozen nearly solid through the winter |
| Folklore or use | Introduced overseas to help control ragwort | A folk legend claims the width of its reddish-brown band predicts how harsh the winter will be |
| Adult feeding | Adults take nectar from flowers | Adults do not feed at all |
| Range | Europe and western Asia, with introduced populations in Australia, New Zealand, and North America | Forest, grassland, and garden habitat across most of the United States and southern Canada |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated globally, though it has declined in parts of Britain | Least Concern, with a stable population |
Cinnabar Moth vs Isabella Tiger Moth: common questions
Which caterpillar survives being frozen?
The Isabella tiger moth's woolly bear, which produces natural compounds that let it survive being frozen nearly solid through the winter.
Does the woolly bear predict the winter?
A long-standing folk legend claims so, but there is no established scientific basis for it.
Which caterpillar stores toxins?
The cinnabar moth's caterpillar, which stores toxic chemicals from the ragwort it eats.