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Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth

Cosmosoma myrodora[3]

The scarlet-bodied wasp moth is a day-flying moth with a bright red body, metallic blue marks and clear, black-edged wings that mimics a wasp; it is harmless and its caterpillars feed only on climbing hempvine.[1][2]

Group
Insect
Order
Lepidoptera
Family
Erebidae
US records
8 states
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-15
Scarlet-bodied wasp moth with red body, blue-black abdomen tip and clear black-edged wings
Scarlet-bodied wasp moth with red body, blue-black abdomen tip and clear black-edged wings. (c) Laura Gaudette, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Where it lives
  3. Biology
  4. Damage and signs
  5. Health risk
  6. Control
  7. Common questions
  8. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are about 0.6 inch long with a bright red thorax and abdomen, blue metallic dots and transparent wings with black edges.[1][2]
  • Males carry pouches of fine filaments under the abdomen.[1][2]

Where it lives

Found in Florida and a narrow coastal band of other southeastern states, plus Mexico and Central America; winter cold, not host plants, limits it.[1][2]

US map: public records from 8 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

There are several generations a year; Mississippi sightings are most common in fall and early winter.[2]

Males collect defensive chemicals from dog fennel and pass them to females during mating, which makes spiders release them from webs.[1][2]

Damage and signs

  • Caterpillars feed only on climbing hempvine (Mikania scandens), a weedy native vine; it is not a pest.[1][2]

Health risk

None; it only looks like a wasp.[2]

Control

Prevention

No control is needed.[1][2]

Common questions

What is the red wasp-like moth with clear wings?
A scarlet-bodied wasp moth.[1][2]
Does it sting?
No; it mimics wasps for protection.[2]
What does the caterpillar eat?
Only climbing hempvine.[1][2]

Sources

  1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS, Featured Creatures), “Scarlet-Bodied Wasp Moth, Cosmosoma myrodora (EENY-557/IN996).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN996 (accessed 2026-10-15)
  2. Mississippi State University Extension (Bug's Eye View), “Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth, Vol. 9, No. 29.” extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/bugs-eye-view/2023/scarlet-bodied-wasp-moth-vol-9-no-29 (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. iNaturalist, “Cosmosoma myrodora taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/217647 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-15. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.