04/06/2026
Species of the month for June 2026 is...🥁🥁🥁🥁
Leto venus (Ghost Moth)!
The Ghost Moth is in the family Hepialidae, and was described in 1780 by Pieter Cramer. This is one of our most beautiful moth species, and it is tightly associated with Keurboom (Virgilia spp.), which is its host plant. It is, as its host plant, endemic to the wider southern Cape.
Females lay eggs in the soil around the roots of Keurboom. Larvae then bore their way through the roots and into the stems of mature trees. They can remain in the tree for many months, before exiting via holes made by the moth when it emerges as an adult. Whereas the larvae are wood borers, the adults do not feed and are short-lived. Recently, Ghost Moth has also been linked to Honeybush, a local plant species harvested for tea, and closely related to Keurboom (both share the family Fabaceae).
With the destruction of forest edges, habitat for this species has declined. At Hebron, we are bringing Keurboom back to the forest edge in massive numbers, hoping also to provide more habitat for this endemic and unique species of moth.
Photo credit: Colin Ralston.
Read Colin and John Grehan's article on Leto venus here: https://www.metamorphosis.org.za/?p=articles&s=Details&i=1475
