Editing Ghost moth (section)

{{For |the New Zealand moth with the same common name |Heloxycanus patricki{{!}}''Heloxycanus patricki''}}
{{For |the South and Central American moth |Thysania agrippina{{!}}''Thysania agrippina''}}
{{Short description|Species of moth}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Hepialus_humuli.jpg
| image_caption = Female
| image2 = Hepialus_Humuli_(female).png
| image2_caption = 
| parent_authority = [[Johan Christian Fabricius|Fabricius]], 1775
| genus = Hepialus
| species = humuli
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[Lepidoptera in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| synonyms = {{collapsible list|
Genus:<br/>
*''Hepiolus'' <small>Illiger, 1801</small>
*''Epialus'' <small>Agassiz, 1847</small>
*''Epiolus'' <small>Agassiz, 1847</small>
*''Tephus'' <small>Wallengren, 1869</small>
Species:<br/>
*''Noctua humuli'' <small>Linnaeus, 1758</small>
*''Hepialus thulensis'' <small>Newman, 1865</small>
*''Hepialus humulator'' <small>Haworth, 1802</small>
*''Hepialus hethlandica'' <small>Staudinger, 1871</small>
*''Hepialus rosea'' <small>Petersen, 1902</small>
*''Hepialus albida'' <small>Spuler, 1910</small>
*''Hepialus azuga'' <small>Pfitzner, 1912</small>
*''Hepialus grandis'' <small>Pfitzner, 1912</small>
*''Hepialus dannenbergi'' <small>Stephan, 1923</small>
*''Hepialus pusillus'' <small>Stephan, 1923</small>
*''Hepialus rufomaculata'' <small>Lempke, 1938</small>
*''Hepialus albida'' <small>Bytinski-Salz, 1939</small>
*''Hepialus roseoornata'' <small>Bytinski-Salz, 1939</small>
*''Hepialus uniformis'' <small>Bytinski-Salz, 1939</small>
*''Hepialus faeroensis'' <small>Dahl, 1954</small>
*''Hepialus fumosa'' <small>Cockayne, 1955</small>
*''Hepialus radiata'' <small>Cockayne, 1955</small>
*''Hepialus postnigrescens'' <small>Lempke, 1961</small>
*''Hepialus postrufescens'' <small>Lempke, 1961</small>
*''Hepialus griseomaculata'' <small>van Wisselingh, 1965</small>
*''Hepialus thuleus''
}}}}

The '''ghost moth''' or '''ghost swift''' ('''''Hepialus humuli''''') is a [[moth]] of the family [[Hepialidae]]. It is common throughout Europe, except for the far south-east.

Female ghost moths are larger than males, and exhibit sexual dimorphism with their differences in size and wing color. The adults fly from June to August and are attracted to light. The species overwinters as a [[larva]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWNNjWFwKwgC&q=ghost+swift&pg=PA211 |title=Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers: A Colour Handbook, Second Edition|last=Alford|first=David V.|date=2012-05-30|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781840766288}}</ref> The larva is whitish and [[maggot]]-like and feeds underground on the roots of a variety of wild and cultivated plants (see list below). The species can be an economically significant pest in forest [[nursery (horticulture)|nurseries]].<ref name=":4" />

The term ghost moth is sometimes used as a general term for all [[Hepialidae|hepialids]]. The ghost moth gets its name from the hovering display flight of the male, sometimes slowly rising and falling, over open ground to attract females. In a suitable location several males may display together in a [[lek (animal behavior)|lek]].<ref name=":1" />