Insects · La Saladita, Guerrero

Black Witch

Ascalapha odorata

Spanish: Bruja negra

The erebid moth Ascalapha odorata, commonly known as the black witch moth, is a large bat-shaped, dark-colored nocturnal moth, found from Brazil until the southern United States. It is the largest noctuid found in the continental United States. In the folklore of many cultures in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is associated with death or misfortune.

TaxonomyInsecta › Lepidoptera › Erebidae

Local records13 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)

Global records34,768 on iNaturalist

Most recent records2021 – 2026

Months of the 8 most recent records

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Recent local sightings

2026-07-15 — observation by claloe
2025-10-08 — observation by antonio_perez2
2025-07-28 — observation by dani1212
2024-11-16 — observation by zihuadean
2023-12-07 — observation by emmelou
2023-09-03 — observation by raulramirez

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Insects guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Black Witch (Ascalapha odorata) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/ascalapha-odorata/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.