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Glite Dictionary
io moth

io moth

1 9.4
A large yellow moth with big eye spots on its hind wings whose caterpillars have stinging spines
  • noun
  • /ˈaɪoʊ mɔθ/
  • US
translation icon : polilla io
  • The io moth is known for its striking yellow color.

Examples

  • The io moth is easily recognized by the striking eyespots on its hind wings.

  • Gardeners should be cautious, as the larvae of the io moth have stinging spines.

  • When threatened, the io moth reveals its hind wings to deter predators.

  • Have you ever seen an io moth in the wild?

  • The bright yellow io moth landed gracefully on the flower, showcasing its distinctive eye spots.

  • Children were fascinated by the large io moth they discovered in the backyard during the summer.

  • The scientist studied the life cycle of the io moth to learn more about its unique stinging larvae.

Synonyms

Automeris io
vsio moth
  • Specialized
9.9

A large yellow moth with a big eye-like spot on each back wing whose caterpillars have stinging spines

is the common everyday name used in informal speech

Surface Forms

io moth singular
io moths plural

Morphology

io + moth

The element 'io' is a species epithet/proper name with no ordinary lexical meaning in English, so a B1 learner who knows only the words 'io' and 'moth' would not be able to derive the specific referent or its salient features. Because the first element is essentially arbitrary/taxonomic rather than compositional, the compound name's meaning is not predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Io moth gets its name from the large eye-like spots on its hind wings, which look like real eyes. It was named after 'Io' from a Greek story because those 'eyes' can startle animals, so today io moth means the moth with the large eye spots.