#Pupa Project

[timoogi]

“Lepidoptera Lunatic Asylum prides itself on reshaping misfortunate minds and progressing humanity’s understanding of the inner psyche. Here in Lepidoptera, we ensure to rehabilitate those thought to be broken beyond repair. And if reintroduction into society will not work, they will be safe and happy in our helping hands.”

𝒩𝑜 𝓃𝑜 𝓃𝑜! 𝒯𝒽𝑒𝓈𝑒 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓁𝒾𝑒𝓈! 𝑅𝓊𝒷𝒷𝒾𝓈𝒽! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝓌𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝓉𝑜 𝒹𝑜 𝒾𝓈 𝓇𝑒𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓅𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝑔𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒿𝒶𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝒾𝓃𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝒸𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑒! 𝒰𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓁𝓎 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇𝑜𝓊𝓈! 𝒲𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹𝓃’𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝑔𝓇𝑒𝑒, 𝓂𝓎 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓇?

Welcome to Pupa Project! 🦋

Pupa Project is a personal oc project that I have been working on for a bit now. Originally starting from the creation of the main character in the series, Blythe Waldrop, I grew increasingly attached to her story, themes, and universe. Because of how much this project means to me, I plan to at least attempt to make Pupa Project into a visual novel. Pupa Project is my means of regaining control on an often ill-portrayed narrative. Growing up schizophrenic, I have acquired many opinions, thoughts, ideas, and experiences I feel many may have not even considered. Pupa Project is my love letter not just to my fellow psychotic people, but I think, most importantly, to the child me that didn’t think they’d ever recover.

Disclaimer: All character developments and scenes are mostly inspired by my lived experience. Please understand that everything is a spectrum and this project is solely based on symptoms I have dealt with personally. Some things may also be historically inaccurate for the time period in favor of telling a story!

𝒩𝑜𝓌! 𝒮𝒽𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝓌𝑒 𝓂𝑒𝑒𝓉 𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓎 𝒸𝑜𝓁𝓁𝑒𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝑜𝒻 𝓈𝓅𝑒𝒸𝒾𝓂𝑒𝓃?

(art/introduction sheets below!)

Blythe Waldrop — Age: 11 — The youngest patient in the asylum!

Blythe Waldrop is a truly remarkable little girl! From a young age, she understood very well that she was different. Often times at social events, she would be picked on or teased until eventually other kids started avoiding her all together! She spoke oddly to them, lacked cheerful smiles or bratty frowns, and was content watching ants march around her feet carrying crumbs of cake instead of playing. She often told her mother and father of things she heard and saw, to which they believed to be just part of an active imagination. However, at one such important social gathering displaying her mother’s newest art collection, Blythe became completely untethered from reality and was tormented by visions and beliefs unfit for a productive member of society. In her wake, she had torn apart the art pieces she believed to be watching her, taunting her, and made quite a scene in front of her family’s high-society friends. As you can imagine, this did not go over well with her dear mother and father.

Now at Lepidoptera Asylum, Blythe remains aloof (when she’s not having outbursts.) Doctor after doctor have tried to treat her, but to no avail. The other patients don’t look her way, some out of fear and some out of disinterest. They wonder if she even feels… How does someone so young end up so mad?

Henrietta Vivian Davis — Age: 18 — The liveliest patient in the asylum!

Henrietta is an energetic force! In young adolescence, Henrietta proved to be very opinionated, very sociable, to the point where it was hard to keep her ‘on track.’ Coming from a very wealthy family, there were expectations for the young girl. She must hold her tongue, she must be polite and demure, however, no matter how hard she tried, these things did not come naturally to her. Worrying for their daughter’s future, Henrietta was arranged to be married to a much older man at the age of 17. Henrietta fought this tooth and nail, but there was nothing she could do. While in her fiancé’s company, he would prove to be very… forceful. As the days got closer to their wedding ceremony, and his touchiness seemed to get worse, Henrietta decided there was only one way out. Having vast knowledge of medieval torture methods and historical assassinations, Henrietta got the idea to poison his drink while at a family dinner. This plan ultimately failed, and when it was discovered that Henrietta had attempted to kill him, the courts ruled that she was criminally insane. She was sent to Lepidoptera Asylum by court order.

In the asylum, she seems to be overjoyed! She speaks to anyone who will listen, wanders around gleefully, and is happy to be far away from her family and ex-fiancé. The only thing that causes her agitation is when male staff or patients approach her. She has a tendency to lash out should they get too close.

Thomas Phillipps — Age: 23 — The gentlest patient in the asylum!

Thomas has always been sure of two things: 1) Who he is, and 2) The world is dangerous and completely unpredictable. As a child, Thomas expressed many worries and had peculiar habits to soothe his overthinking. In social settings, he always had great discomfort in how he was supposed to dress and act and speak. Noticing these patterns, his mother and father asked him one day what would make him happy. Finally being given some control over his own life, Thomas expressed his desire to be seen as male, and his family helped him from then on out. Thomas’ father taught him many things, mostly everything to do with blacksmithing. However, as he grew, his worries grew with him. Intrusive thoughts paralyzed him and made him severely anxious around sharp tools. The what ifs swirled in his head and he grew increasingly troubled by such obsessive thoughts. To make matters worse, rumors of Thomas being born a female started to circulate in their well-off community. Paranoid that his parents might take the brunt of such accusations, and his anxieties keeping him from being able to defend them, Thomas sought out medical treatment for his obsessions and compulsions and was ultimately recommended to Lepidoptera.

Once he got settled into the asylum, Thomas feels a tad more at ease. He figures that if anything were to happen, he is away from the public and he cannot harm them. The only downside is that doctors and nurses insist his identity is also the product of insanity. He strongly disagrees and stands his ground in that regard.

Amaryllis Cook — Age: 35 — The delicatest patient in the asylum!

Amaryllis is a very warm soul! That’s why it is such a shame her mind has become something that torments her. She hadn’t been like this in her past. No, as a child and young woman, Amaryllis was bright and cheerful. She was incredibly skilled with needlework, happily married to her husband, and they lived in the perfect home where they wanted to raise children. There was just one problem, one the happy couple couldn’t possibly have known. Amaryllis couldn’t have children. They had tried to conceive multiple times, only for it to end in devastation. With each failed attempt, Amaryllis felt herself slipping further and further into the dark. The last strike was when they finally did conceive, but the child had died in the birthing process. This was the last straw. Amaryllis became inconsolable, maddened by grief and guilt and disappointment. Her husband tried to be her rock, but even he could not keep her safe from herself. He had taken her to see a doctor, and at the doctor’s suggestion, he admitted her to Lepidoptera Asylum.

In the asylum, Amaryllis is one of the more rowdy patients. She lashes out in hysterical, crying fits, making every attempt to “punish” herself for what she believes is her fault. Her depressive state only worsened when she realized her husband was not coming to visit her. Because of the danger she poses to herself, she is usually kept calm with newfound sedatives.

Doctor Laurence Caldwell — Age: 46 — The newest doctor in the asylum!

Not much is known about Dr. Caldwell, and he prefers to keep it that way. A man of mysterious origin, he has been recently hired at Lepidoptera Asylum and has big plans for progress. Dr. Caldwell is unlike most doctors of his time, mild mannered and pragmatic, he is immensely trustworthy both in the eyes of patients and fellow staff. He has quite odd social habits, often fidgety and preoccupied with his own theories, making for a poor conversationalist. Perhaps this is why his patients take to him so well. He believes that the path to recovery is much more… humane… than many others would think.

Doctor Samuel Montague — Age: 32 — The smartest doctor in the asylum!

Dr. Montague comes from a long line of accomplished doctors! That is why it is imperative that he succeed and continue the line of genius. Creative with his treatment methods, Dr. Montague feels he must push the medical bounds in order to strive for great success. No one ever got what they wanted by being temperate and docile. Many of the general public favor his ideas, the patients themselves… not so much… but what do they know?

Nurse Cassandra Beechworth — Age: 26 — The strictest nurse in the asylum!

Nurse Beechworth worked hard for her position! She had admired Dr. Montague’s work when she saw him in action during her studies, and vowed to do what she must in order to progress humanity’s understanding of the brain. Once hired to be a nurse in Lepidoptera, she swiftly made a name for herself among patients. Her temper is fiery and her patience is thin, and when a patient strays from the correct path, she is there to guide them back.

Mister Eugene-Albert Gryllidae! — Age: 25! — Free as a bird!

𝒪𝒽 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝑒 𝓂𝑒! 𝐻𝑜𝓌’𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒?! 𝒲𝒽𝑜𝑜𝓅𝓈~!

the machine is faulty. take it apart.

[jinksyweirdo]

Got bored in one of my classes yesterday and drew this old gramp.

Idk y but I feel like he would read Lord of the Rings.

[tsunagite]

Slightly belated celebration for MYTH Re: LEASE coming to maimai! Of which, Tanchiky gets sent to the shadow realm/fucking dies…?

Also yes I drew PLAYERRRS!!! specifically for the s-don stand-in 💥

[skishie]

ask me about my sanrio x solar opposites cross over collab

[theanimeawarenessproject]

RATING: DARK RED

FLASH RATING : MEDIUM to HIGH, All colours

Pupa / ピューパ - this anime is based on a manga that seems to not have been finished at the time of creation and it shows heavily. I dont know the fandom, or ANY content from the manga, so please be aware that this reveiw is anime only.

I enjoyed watching this, for the most part, but it went off the rails extremely quickly. The site I used to watch it had all of the episodes in one compilation and I wasn't aware of this until AFTER, so there won't be episode specific triggers this time. Know that the majority of the triggers go for the entire show anyways. Dont watch this unless youre prepared to be REALLY disappointed.

My cursory research showed that this anime, while beautifully animated, is widely regarded as one of the worst Anime of all time and it SHOWS. Its apparently one of the worst adaptations of a manga ever made as well. The soundtrack is incredible, though!

............

...........

GENRES: Body Horror, Psychological Horror

TYPE: Shorts, but best watched in a compilation

RAN FROM: January 9th 2014 to March 28th 2014

LENGTH: 12 episodes consisting of 4 minute long shorts, including intro and outro.

STUDIO: Studio Deen

............

Intro/Outro: Heavy themes of body horror, fast moving imagery, focus on bugs and eyes, artistic nudity, minor red white flash at the very end, outro contains artistic nudity of a child and blood, many blur effects.

Special notes: at one point there is a REAL LIFE VIDEO of a dead fish being gutted and the intestines splayed out on a billboard. It is EXTREMELY Graphic

Theres an entire plotline that is eventually dropped that implies the sexual assault of both siblings that involves a woman using her body as an incubator for a baby created from a sperm and an egg from underage and biological siblings. Her nude pregnant form is shown and its disgusting.

Trigger Catalog: Extreme Gore, Extreme Body Horror, death and dismemberment, segments that take place in a school, physical abuse scars including cigarette burns across a child's body, animal death and severe animal body horror, extreme physical and psychological abuse of children and women, focus on bugs, bug like sound effects, bug monsters, cannibalism, eating humans, erotic cannibalism between biological siblings, human experimentation, child experimentation, severe harm and distortion of stuffed animals (mainly teddybears), severe PTSD including but not limited to flashbacks, Smoking, extreme amounts of blood, heavy weaponry, a cat who is a camera, repeated killing and reviving of a teenager, loud and brutal screams of pain and fear from a child and several adults, manipulation, Kidnapping, calling a newborn/unborn baby a monster, graphic birth, favoritism between siblings, child murder and on screen corpse of an infant, Unreality, Dead Bird, Giant insects and the intentional killing of them, artistic nudity including that of children, pregnancy, pregnancy as horror, a person with no empathy posed as evil, knives very close to eyes, closeups on knives, stabbing children, murder, tazing especially to the neck, chaining and blindfolding a child, live autopsy of a child including amputation without any kind of anesthesia, creepy mascots, left on a very confusing cliffhanger.

..............

Final notes: just dont watch this. Its not funny bad, its JUST uncomfortable incest eroguro of children, and the animation and music aren't enough to save it. If the idea of a giant monster bug eating people excites you, read the manga instead! I'm honestly disappointed. It started out pretty alright. As always, I go into these things almost entirely blind, and only watch sub. If there are other issues, let me know, and I will reblog or add them!

[the-art-in-arthesia-is-loud]

pupa: sometimes in life you feel like going;

pupa: AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

pupa: and in other times, you feel like going. uh.

pupa: ....... *sob*

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Some Entomology Vocabulary

for your next poem/story

Entomology - The scientific study of insects.

Alary - 'Relating to wings'. It is often used when discussing the muscles used to operate the wings of an insect, these commonly being known as the alary muscles.

Aposematism - The use of bright colouration to advertise that an organism is dangerous or unpalatable.

Apterous - Insects without wings.

Batesian mimicry - A type of mimicry where a harmless organism mimics a poisonous or unpalatable one. Predators learn to avoid the unpleasant organism and, because predators are unable to distinguish the mimic from the poisonous/unpalatable organism, the mimics are also avoided.

Cerumen - A substance created by many species of social bee used to construct their nests. It is a mixture of tree resin (often in the form of propolis) that is mixed with beeswax. The consistency and colour is often determined by the trees close to the bee nest since this is where the resin is collected from.

Chorion - The outer shell of an insect's egg. It can consist of several layers including a waxy layer to prevent water loss.

Crypsis - The ability for a organism to blend in with its environment. This is often achieved through projections in the exoskeleton of the insect which makes it look like something else.

Eclosion - The emergence of an adult insect from a pupa or a larvae (or nymph) from an egg.

Endoparasitoid - A parasite that lives inside another animal and ultimately kills it. Endoparasitoids, such as some solitary wasps, are commonly used as biological control agents.

Frass - Insect excrement.

Gallery - A small tunnel or passageway made by an insect or animal.

Instars - Time periods between molts.

Iridescent - Displaying shining or glittering colors like those of a rainbow.

Mullerian mimicry - A type of mimicry whereby one or or more species develop a similar appearance. Each of the species is either poisonous, dangerous or unpalatable to predators. Predators may only encounter one specific species but protection is conferred to the other others due to their similar appearance.

Nuptial flight - The mating flight of some insects, most notably social bees and ants.

Oviparity - When insects reproduce by laying eggs.

Pectinate - Comblike

Plumose - Feathery

Pterygota - Refers to the Subclass of insects that possess wings.

Xylophagous - Describes animals that feed almost exclusively on wood.

Sources: 1 2 3 ⚜ More: Word Lists

[thewertsearch]

And it just keeps getting better!

I didn’t expect any Player ability to affect Perfect Jack, but Aradia’s time manipulation can completely shut him down. This is our first true display of God Tier power, and it’s more potent than I could have possibly imagined. If it comes down to it, John might actually have a chance against Jack.

And if God Tier powers can touch Jack, I don’t think we even need to see this fight.

I mean, let’s be fair, here. Tavros deserves some credit for having the guts to stand up to Vriska – but he picked a great fucking time to do it, didn't he?

I always forget how deranged Vriska is. Troll of the fucking century.

This really isn’t the weapon you want to break out against a foe who can fly.

Sorry, Tavros. She only kept you around because you were her project – and now she has a much more promising apprentice.

Plus, you let her bleed to death. Vriska might pretend she doesn’t hold grudges, but we know better than that.

I don’t think you’re going to fly this time, Pupa.

[crushedsweets]

who are your friends ill totally ask them stuff im amazing at asking stuff asking stuff is my favorite i love asking stuff ill ask the fuck out of their asks im totally gonna ask them who are they let me ask them stuff

@timoogi posts goated crp stuff + his WIP visual novel pupa project that you should 100% keep your eyes on PLEASW I love Blythe so bad

@outwiththecrow posts goated DC/batman-verse(….?IDK WHAT THIS FANDOM IS CALLED) stuff and roleplay/writing content

@skullcfusher CREEPYPASTA YAOI AND YURI AHHHHAHAHA

@lazari-returns IEPFB rewrite(?) COMIC love to see it forever. New big awesome stuff is coming this summer … smiles evilly

@skullytotheark such an awesome creepypasta AU so many cool designs and concepts . Must examine

[spikulec]

Ravi - Isopod People

Today I bring you a trip down the memory lane. This is the first species I've ever designed, for completely different private fan-project that I finally abandoned as I lost my love for the source material. Now, after a few years, I decided to revisit them and redesign my favourite isopod people - the Ravi. So, have yourself another creature for my DnD 5e setting! Meet Tsaan (the smaller one) and Ari, her friend.

Ravi come from the north of Gaol, tho you can meet them living in the all northern lands of Io. Their people are extremely sturdy and prepared to fight any weather, from freezing cold to magical thunderstorms and even volcanic activity. In the worst of circumstances, they expand their exoskeleton, creating a pupa in which they can hibernate for long months without food or air. Once the conditions are clearer, Ravi can emerge out of the cocoon and begin life anew as if nothing wrong ever happened. .Ravis' bodies are naturally armed with a thick layer of segmented carapace, resembling the one found on isopods. If you were to touch their "hair" it would be like poking an earth worm. Those long "braids" are fully capable of movement and serve as temperature regulation system. They expel excess heat or isolate the head from freezing cold. In other words, Ravi have natural hats :3

Ravi rarely settle down. Their people are wanderers, always looking for a better place to live. They migrate with the weather, visiting Gaol every four years, when the north completely freezes down. They are also respected as warriors, hunting both for animals and for the Ylfe. the best of warriors wear winter coats made from Pookas, the terrifying winter spiders. Traditionally in their culture, Ravi wear belts with strings attached to them. Every knot on a string means another Great Winter survived, marking four years in the life of a Ravi.

[timoogi]

𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚,

𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙮

𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚, 𝙨𝙤 𝙬𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨,

𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙬𝙤, 𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙯𝙚𝙧𝙤�� 🦋

[tsunagite]

MYTH Re: LEASE! I love it when songs have motifs of other songs 💥💥

If you want more info/clearer view of the cards, they can be found here!

[pokemonshelterstories]

Is Swadloon a proper pupal-stage pokemon or is it something else? I often see it get compared to other pupal bug pokemon (kakuna, silcoon, metapod) but also the only real similarity I see is its a middle stage bug type, it doesnt really have any sort of cocoon or chrysalis so much as a Big Leaf

swadloon are really interesting! i've been reading up a lot on them for my sewaddle care project haha.

so not every three-stage bug type pokemon is the same. while many of them immediately enter a pupal state, during which their bodies break down in preparation for evolution, sewaddle spends most of its time able to move about and eat. it's only in the last few days leading up to evolution that it closes up its leaves and pupates. we think this is because it makes its pupa entirely out of leaves, which aren't as sturdy and protective as, say, a metapod's chyrsalis.

[theanimeawarenessproject]

I just started Pupa and this is really good but supremely disgusting

Dark red btw

[rebeccathenaturalist]

So this is a piece of good news that I have a small stake in. The Oregon silverspot butterfly (Speryeria zerene hippolyta) once flew along the coast from San Mateo County in California to my stomping grounds up here on the Long Beach Peninsula in extreme southwest Washington. As with many herbivorous insects, the caterpillar of this species has a very limited diet--in fact, the only thing it can eat is the leaves of the early blue violet (Viola adunca). The violets grow in coastal meadows where they get plenty of sun; unfortunately, due to fire suppression and development, most of these meadows are either heavily damaged or no longer exist. And no violets means no butterflies.

Today, the last wild populations include four sites in Oregon and one in Northern California. Over the past few decades conservationists have been working to protect and restore coastal meadows, and both the Oregon Zoo in Portland and the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle have active breeding programs for Oregon silverspots. The caterpillars are raised in captivity, and then when they pupate they are placed in suitable release sites. Some of these are in established populations, but they have also more recently been reintroduced to parts of their historic range where they had been extirpated, such as Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Saddle Mountain in Oregon.

This latest release is the largest at Saddle Mountain, with over 2000 silverspot pupae being released there. It's also the site closest to where I am--maybe fifty miles away as the butterfly soars--and people here have been preparing for years for either a planned release or the natural dispersal of butterflies. Willapa National Wildlife Refuge has been engaged in multiple habitat restoration projects over the years, and this includes a restored meadow with a large patch of early blue violets. The farm owned by my friends that I live on also has extensive early blue violet plantings, and there's also a commercial native plant nursery on site that includes the violets as part of their seasonal offerings.

It is my hope that within my lifetime I will get to see the Oregon silverspot flying here on the peninsula. The latest Saddle Mountain release makes it that much more likely that my hope will become reality.

[sea-lifeblog]

Beautiful black witch moth

The erebid moth Ascalapha odorata, commonly known as the black witch, is a large bat-shaped, dark-colored nocturnal moth, normally ranging from the southern United States to Brazil. Ascalapha odorata is also migratory into Canada and most states of United States. It is the largest noctuoid in the continental United States. In the folklore of many Central American cultures, it is associated with death or misfortune.

Female moths can attain a wingspan of 24 cm. The dorsal surfaces of their wings are mottled brown with hints of iridescent purple and pink, and, in females, crossed by a white bar. The diagnostic marking is a small spot on each forewing shaped like a number nine or a comma. This spot is often green with orange highlights. Males are somewhat smaller, reaching 12 cm in width, darker in color and lacking the white bar crossing the wings. The larva is a large caterpillar up to 7 cm in length with intricate patterns of black and greenish-brown spots and stripes.

The black witch lives from the southern United States, Mexico and Central America to Brazil, and has apparently been introduced to Hawaii.[citation needed]

The black witch flies north during late spring and summer. One was caught during an owl banding project at the Whitefish Point lighthouse on the shoreline of Lake Superior in July 2020.[citation needed]

The black witch is considered a harbinger of death in Mexican and Caribbean folklore. In many cultures, one of these moths flying into the house is considered bad luck: e.g., in Mexico, when there is sickness in a house and this moth enters, it is believed the sick person will die, though a variation on this theme (in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas) is that death only occurs if the moth flies in and visits all four corners of one's house (in Mesoamerica, from the pre-Hispanic era until the present time, moths have been associated with death and the number four). In some parts of Mexico, people joke that if one flies over someone's head, the person will lose his hair.

In Jamaica, under the name duppy bat, the black witch is seen as the embodiment of a lost soul or a soul not at rest. In Jamaican English, the word duppy is associated with malevolent spirits returning to inflict harm upon the living and bat refers to anything other than a bird that flies. The word "duppy" (also: "duppie") is also used in other West Indian countries, generally meaning "ghost".

In Brazil it is called "mariposa-bruxa", "mariposa-negra", "bruxa-negra", and "bruxa", and it is also believed that when a moth of this type enters the house it can bring some "bad omen", signaling the death of a resident. In the Ecuadorian highlands they are called Tandacuchi and in Peru Taparacuy or Taparaco. These countries share the belief that if this moth, a messenger of death, appears in your home, someone will die very soon.

In Hawaii, black witch mythology, though associated with death, has a happier note in that if a loved one has just died, the moth is an embodiment of the person's soul returning to say goodbye. In the Bahamas, where they are locally known as money moths or money bats, the legend is that if they land on you, you will come into money, and similarly, in South Texas, if a black witch lands above your door and stays there for a while, you will supposedly win the lottery.

In Paraguay and Argentina, this insect is mostly known as "ura", and there is a popular belief that this moth urinates and leaves worms on the skin of people and animals. However, the insect that lays eggs in the skin and whose larvae become embedded in the flesh is the colmoyote or screwworm (Dermatobia hominis).

In Spanish, the black witch is known as "mariposa de la muerte". Other names for the moth include the papillion-devil, la sorcière noire, the mourning moth or the sorrow moth.[citation needed]

Black witch moth pupae were placed in the mouths of victims of serial killer 'Buffalo Bill' in the novel The Silence of the Lambs. In the movie adaptation, they were replaced by death's-head hawkmoth pupae.