Vampire Moths Suck the Blood of Vertebrates, Including Humans

A vampire moth, Calyptra thalictri, feeding on Dr. Jennifer M. Zaspel’s thumb.

By Kevin Fitzgerald

Vampirism — piercing or cutting animal skin to suck or lap up blood — is known throughout the animal kingdom. Mosquitoes come to mind, plus ticks, mites, vampire bats, and the vampire finch of the Galapagos Islands. But … vampire moths? Yes indeed, there are moths that feed on the blood of vertebrates, including humans. When I tell people about them, they respond by going into mild shock. Like carnivorous plants, nothing so strange should exist in a prosaic universe, they say. But who ever said we live in a prosaic universe?

Kevin Fitzgerald

The vampire moths belong to the genus Calyptra, which contains 17 species. The genus is contained within the subfamily Calpinae of the family Erebidae. The genus is also a member of the Calpini tribe. Eight species have been reported vampirizing mammals, including humans, in the wild, and two, Calyptra fletcheri and C. thalictri, have drawn human blood in laboratory or semi-natural settings such as mesh cages and vials. All of them, including the blood-drinkers, feed normally by piercing fruit to suck the juice. Blood-drinking in these creatures is facultative, not obligate.

Vampire moths are being studied extensively in the laboratory of Dr. Jennifer Zaspel, assistant professor of entomology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. Her team has captured Calyptra moths in the field in the U.S. and other countries. The lab studies, among other aspects, the molecular systematics and feeding structure of vampire moths. Dr. Zaspel is also director of the Purdue Entomological Research Collection, which contains nearly two million insect specimens.

All Calyptra species are found in the Old World (southeast Asia, eastern Africa, China, Japan, India, and eastern and southern Europe) except Calyptra canadensis, which lives in the U.S. and Canada, and is probably not a vampire. But who knows? Maybe it just hasn’t been caught in the act yet. The life history of C. canadensis was almost unknown until recently, when, in Zaspel’s lab, one of them was videotaped piercing a strawberry.

Vampire moths can pierce the thick hides of animals such as buffalo, tapirs, and elephants. After landing on a favorable spot on the host animal, the moth begins penetrating the skin by applying its proboscis to the skin, then rocking it back and forth to push it in. Having penetrated the skin, the moth then oscillates, or rocks its head back and forth, to drive the proboscis further in. As blood from the host animal wells up, it opens hooks on the sides of the proboscis to anchor it firmly. The proboscis has two parts that alternate between anchoring and drilling through host tissue using an “antiparalell” movement. A bite from a Calyptra moth is red and sore, but is believed to pose no danger to human beings. A vampire moth can suck blood for up to 50 minutes.

In 2006, Dr. Zaspel herself was vampirized on a collection trip abroad.

“My first encounter with a vampire moth was as a graduate student working in Far Eastern Russia,” she said. “We went out collecting in a remote village outside of Ussuriysk and one of the first moths that came to the sheet was Calyptra thalictri. I knew blood-feeding had never been documented in this species, but still, I decided to collect it into a vial and stuck my thumb inside. In less than one minute, it began probing my thumb with its armored tongue, and then it pierced through my skin, and began feeding on my blood.”

Only the male vampire moths suck blood. The females suck fruit juice and feed on nectar, and the larvae feed on leaves. It is hypothesized, though not proven, that males suck blood for the salt, which they then pass on to the females in their sperm as a possible benefit to the offspring. It is also hypothesized that the blood-feeding behavior evolved from piercing fruit in order to feed on juices.

“Male and female Calyptra species are obligate fruit piercers,” said Dr. Zaspel. “They have a proboscis that is modified for piercing fruits and sucking the juice.  Thus, the blood-feeding habit has evolved from plant-associated feeding behaviors, as opposed to animal associated feeding behaviors.”

Read more at:

– Vampire Moth Discovered — Evolution at Work

– EOL Vampire Moth Comprehensive Description

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Kevin Fitzgerald is a freelance science writer living in Connecticut. He has published in newspapers, encyclopedias, and online.

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Vampire Moths Suck the Blood of Vertebrates, Including Humans

Packers in her blood but Seahawks ink in her life: One local tattoo artist's story

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SEATTLE — Why did it have to be the Seahawks and Packers? tattoo artist Erika Jones asks herself.

“I hate it when they play each other,” Jones says. “I want them both to do well. I feel guilty, no matter what team wins.”

Growing up a half-hour from Green Bay, Wis., Jones has always been a Packers fan. But when she moved to the Northwest in 2002, she quickly fell in love with the people and the city of Seattle.

She likes the glow of Columbia Tower at twilight, Gas Works Park on a sunny day. And she even grew to like the Seahawks. Almost as much as her beloved Packers.

“I love the Seahawks,” Jones says. “They’re my adopted team.”

Of course, when she’s forced to chose, she goes with her hometown.

“I’m still a Packers fan at heart,” she says, mentioning she went to the Packers vs. Lions game at Lambeau Field while visiting home this year.

The Seahawks success also brings something different for Jones — business.

As a tattoo artist at 522 Tattoo in Lake Forest Park, Jones loves when customers come in wanting a Seahawks logo or Hawks art. In fact, she says her favorite is when customers want a Seahawks tattoo, but something original, something different than your standard affair.

“I’ve done several logos,” she said. “This onetime a lady wanted a real bird, but she wanted it to be Seahawks related. Understated, you know? That was fun.”

On Friday, less than 48 hours ahead of the Seahawks facing the Packers in the NFC Championship game, Jones has a client who scheduled a Hawks tattoo. Yes, the client knows she’s a Packers fan at heart. They’re even going to have some fun with it, Jones says.

“He’s going to wear a Seahawks jersey and I’m going to wear my jersey,” Jones says. “There’ll be some trash talk maybe.”

But above the rivalry, Jones is stoked on the design of the tattoo.

“He likes video games and the Seahawks, so it will be an 8-bit logo,” she says excitedly, mentioning a likeness for the old Nintendo games. “Kind of a new but old look.”

Jones hopes mentioning she’s a Packers fan doesn’t deter clients from letting her tattoo them. She said it took her living in Seattle to finally notice the connection the cities and football teams have. Russell Wilson was a Wisconsin Badger. Mike Holmgren and John Schneider came from Green Bay. The teams frequently trade with each other.

“They’re like sister teams,” she says.

And, despite having to watch one of her teams lose, she says there’s always an upside when they go head to head. Especially this weekend.

“At least one team I like will be headed to the Super Bowl,” she says.

Packers in her blood but Seahawks ink in her life: One local tattoo artist"s story

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Mutilating The Body: Identity In Blood And Ink