Euchaetes_egle
Euchaetes egle
Species of moth
Euchaetes egle, the milkweed tiger moth or milkweed tussock moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae and the tribe Arctiini, the tiger moths. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773. It is a common mid- through late summer feeder on milkweeds and dogbane. Like most species in this family, it has chemical defenses it acquires from its host plants, in this case, cardiac glycosides.[1] These are retained in adults and deter bats, and presumably other predators, from feeding on them.[2] Only very high cardiac glycoside concentrations deterred bats as predators.[2] Adults indicate their unpalatability to bats with ultrasonic clicks from their tymbal organs.[3]