# Giant leopard moth
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{{short description|Species of moth}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Giant leopard moth hypercompe scribonia 3.jpg
| status = G5
| status_system = TNC
| status_ref = [{{cite web|title=Hypercompe scribonia|url=http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=115178&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=115178&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=115178|work=[NatureServe](/source/NatureServe)|accessdate=18 July 2013|author=Poole, Robert W.|author2=Patricia Gentili|year=1996|archive-date=10 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210091632/http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=115178&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=115178&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=115178|url-status=dead}}]
| taxon = Hypercompe scribonia
| authority = ([Stoll](/source/Caspar_Stoll), 1790)
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision =
* ''H. s. scribonia'' (Stoll, 1790)
* ''H. s. denudata'' ([Slosson](/source/Annie_Trumbull_Slosson), 1888)
| synonyms =
*''Bombyx chryseis''
[Olivier](/source/Guillaume-Antoine_Olivier), 1790
*''Phalaena scribonia''
Stoll, 1790
*''Phalaena oculatissima''
[J.E. Smith](/source/James_Edward_Smith_(botanist)), 1797 (unjustified emendation)
*''Bombyx cunegunda''
Palisot de Beauvois, 1824
*''Ecpantheria confluens''
[Oberthür](/source/Charles_Oberth%C3%BCr_(entomologist)), 1881
*''Ecpantheria denudata''
[Slosson](/source/Annie_Trumbull_Slosson), 1888
*''Ecpantheria scribonia''
}}
The '''giant leopard moth''' ('''''Hypercompe scribonia''''') is a [moth](/source/moth) of the family [Erebidae](/source/Erebidae). They are distributed through North America from southern [Ontario](/source/Ontario), and southern and eastern United States through [New England](/source/New_England), [Mexico](/source/Mexico), and south to [Colombia](/source/Colombia).[[https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20m?kind=Hypercompe%20scribonia] Distribution map at DiscoverLife][{{cite web |title=Weird & Wonderful Creatures: Giant Leopard Moth |last=Fearnley |first=Kirstin |website=Science NetLinks |publisher=American Association for the Advancement of Science |date=29 July 2016 |url=https://www.aaas.org/news/weird-wonderful-creatures-giant-leopard-moth |access-date=5 September 2022}}] The obsolete name, ''Ecpantheria scribonia,'' is still occasionally encountered.
They are known to be attracted to bitter, unripe vegetables and broccoli flowers.
This moth species has a [wingspan](/source/wingspan) of {{convert|3|in|disp=flip|abbr=on}}. Its wings are bright white with a pattern of neat black blotches, some solid and some hollow. The overside of the abdomen is dark blue with orange markings, while the underside is white with solid black spots, and males have a narrow yellow line on the sides. Their legs have black and white bands. Adult moths are strictly [nocturnal](/source/nocturnal) and do not generally fly before nightfall.[{{aut|Fullard, James H. & Napoleone, Nadia}} (2001). Diel flight periodicity and the evolution of auditory defences in the Macrolepidoptera. ''Animal Behaviour'' '''62'''(2): 349–368. {{doi|10.1006/anbe.2001.1753}} [http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3full/reprints/FullNapolDielAB.pdf PDF fulltext] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615060834/http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/~w3full/reprints/FullNapolDielAB.pdf |date=15 June 2007 }}]
This species has a notable sexual dimorphism in size, with the adult male reaching about {{convert|2|in|disp=flip|abbr=on}} in length, while the adult female grows up to {{convert|1.2|in|disp=flip|abbr=on}}. The leopard moth requires two years to complete its round of life.[{{Cite web |title=Studies of Trees |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/16116/pg16116-images.html}}] In Missouri, adults are on the wing from May to September and are [multivoltine](/source/multivoltine).[{{cite web |website=Missouri Department of Conservation |title=Field Guide: Giant Leopard Moth |url=https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/giant-leopard-moth |access-date=5 September 2022}}] During mating sessions, the wings of the male cover most of the female's abdomen, which can sometimes lead to the loss of wing scales in the female and have negative effects on her flight efficiency.[{{cite book | last=Scoble | first=M.J. | title=The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity | publisher=Natural History Museum | series=Natural History Museum publications | year=1995 | isbn=978-0-19-854952-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gnpd_5iNTiwC&pg=PA63 | page=63}}] Their mating sessions are notably long-lasting, taking more than 24 hours. They stay mostly immobile during the whole process, but move from spot to spot to [thermoregulate](/source/Thermoregulation), walking into shadowy areas if too hot or into sunlight if too cold. The male effectuates the locomotion, while the female folds her legs to make her easier to carry.{{cn|date=September 2025}}
The [caterpillar](/source/caterpillar) is of the "[woolly bear](/source/Arctiinae_(moth))" kind, with a thick coat of black bristles ([setae](/source/setae)) and red or orange bands between its segments, which become conspicuous when the caterpillar rolls into a ball for defense. Like the [banded woolly bear](/source/Pyrrharctia_isabella), its hairs are not [urticant](/source/urticating_hair) nor venomous and do not typically cause irritation. The moth [overwinters](/source/overwinters) as a caterpillar,