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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Oct 1, 2011 11:55:17 GMT -8
I found this sphinx moth on my light sheet yesterday afternoon. I always leave the blacklights on at the sheet after I quit collecting for the night and go to bed. I go back the next day and see if anything has stuck around from the night before. So far this week that strategy has yielded a couple of sphinx moths. The first one was an easy id, but this one I cannot seem to identify.  |
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Oct 1, 2011 12:01:17 GMT -8
The other moth that caught my attention is also quite tattered. It will be kept in my records, but the specimen is in such bad shape that once it is identified I will probably toss it.  Both were captured in this condition. |
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Post by nomihoudai on Oct 1, 2011 12:22:52 GMT -8
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Oct 1, 2011 12:33:05 GMT -8
Thanks for the quick id on that Copper underwing moth.  That is a very interesting website as well. It looks like it could be quite helpful to me in the future. |
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Post by oehlkew on Oct 1, 2011 13:04:56 GMT -8
The Sphingidae is either a badly faded/worn and tattered Eumorpha pandorus, or more likley it
is Eumorpha intermedia. Intermedia tends to be a coastal species, but with all the hurricanes
hitting the US east coast, it is probably a wind assisted stray. I will add intermedia, which tends to be less green, more grey, than pandorus, to the Upson County, Georgia page. One of the key determiners, scalloping of lines near apex, has been obliterated in this specimen. Thanks for sharing.
Yesterday I received notice of a YouTube video showing an Aellopos species in Quebec, Canada. It is probably Aellopos titan, which is a rare stray into Canada. Doubtless it was also assisted by some strong wind currents.
Bill Oehlke
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Oct 1, 2011 13:34:43 GMT -8
Thanks for the id! When I was attempting to research it, I found the pandorus but moved past it due to the green that every photo showed. I then found the intermedia, but wanted an expert opinion before I mentioned the name openly. The scales on the wings and body don't appear to be worn at all so I think that the colors are true. It appears to have really gone through a rough time though. Along with the wing damage, it is missing a leg and a half. It didn't resist at all when I scooped it into the kill jar and hardly moved while it was in there.
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Post by oehlkew on Oct 1, 2011 14:01:25 GMT -8
Rev.,
I made some digital repairs and posted image to Upson County page as well as to intermedia file. It definitely seems a better match for
intermedia than for pandorus. I suspect it took a battering in the last hurricane/tropical storm that came your way.
There is some loss of scales, but the colours seem to remain true.
Bill Oehlke
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That is a very interesting website as well. It looks like it could be quite helpful to me in the future.