leopard moth

American  

noun

1. a moth, Zeuzera pyrina, having white wings spotted with black and larvae that bore into the wood of various trees and shrubs.

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leopard moth British  

noun

1. a nocturnal European moth, Zeuzera pyrina, having white wings and body, both marked with black spots: family Cossidae

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Etymology

Origin of leopard moth

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

As Doug Tallamy, founder of the Homegrown National Park, writes in his book, Nature's Best Hope, plantains provide food for the hitched arches moth, buckeye butterflies, and the giant leopard moth.

From Salon

Even the very beautiful giant leopard moth’s bristly caterpillar feeds on this plant, probably sequestering the plant’s toxins for its own protection.

From New York Times

Attention should be called to an insect rather recently introduced into the New England States, which will probably attack nut crops, namely, the so-called leopard moth, already indicated in the list of titles on nut insects.

From Project Gutenberg

Then, too, the leopard moth, zeuzera pyrina Linn., and the carpenter worm, Prionoxystus robiniae Peck, may be found occasionally in most any kind of tree.

From Project Gutenberg

The principal members of this class are the leopard moth, the hickory-bark borer, the sugar-maple borer, the elm borer, and the bronze-birch borer.

From Project Gutenberg