''Bertholdia trigona'', or Grote's bertholdia, is a species of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by

Augustus Radcliffe Grote Augustus Radcliffe Grote (February 7, 1841 – September 12, 1903) was a British entomologist who described over 1,000 species of butterflies and moths.Osborn, H. 1937. Fragments of Entomological History. Columbus, OH: Published by the author ...

in 1879. It is prevalent in the southwestern United States. In studies performed at

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

, these moths were shown to have developed the

ability Abilities are powers an agent has to perform various actions. They include common abilities, like walking, and rare abilities, like performing a double backflip. Abilities are intelligent powers: they are guided by the person's intention and exec ...

to disrupt the echolocation of bats. This insect is the only known species that can jam its predator's echolocation.

References

External links

* *Corcoran, Aaron
''SonarJamming.com''
Sensory and Movement Ecology Lab at UC Colorado Springs. {{Taxonbar, from=Q13403125 Phaegopterina Moths described in 1879