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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2014 22:26:29 GMT -8
Finally the season is getting going. Last year there was not really a Catocala season at all. In four of the last six nights, I have caught the following while seeing and releasing others not worthy of keeping. The other two nights I did not collect.
WISC. C. unijuga (12)...including a form 'agatha' (very dark) C. relicta (2) C. briseis C. antinympha C. judith C. ilia ..................to lights --------------------------------- ILL C. ultronia C. nebulosa (2) C. parta C. cerogama (2) C. cara C. subnata (2) C. neogama (3) C. ilia ..................to sugared trees with fermented fruit slop saw a C. amatrix --------------------------------- Interestingly, most all were in darn near perfect condition as the season is just getting going. I imagine in a week or so, things are going to get cooking......fingers crossed.
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Post by rayrard on Jul 30, 2014 10:15:32 GMT -8
no cerogama or cara showing up yet, but that species began showing up in August here in CT.
I am getting a good amount of palaeaogama this year, with ilia less common than last year.
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Post by oehlkew on Aug 1, 2014 0:28:05 GMT -8
Many people send me digital images of Catocala they have encountered. I recently received an image of a live moth for id purposes. I am pretty sure it is Catocala luciana, and I will shortly be posting it to the luciana file. The moth was photographed while feeding on sugar water at a hummingbird feeder. I think it is the first time I have received an image or a report of such feeding behavior. I have occasionally received images of Catocala nectaring at flowers, and have read reports that nectaring at flowers might be a reason why Catocala are sometimes less likely to respond to lights or bait, ie., the scent of some blooms is a greater attractant. I am wondering if anyone else has seen them respond to sugar water at hummingbird feeders?? Image will be posted to www.silkmoths.bizland.com/catluciana.htm shortly, as soon as I am done typing here. Bill Oehlke
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2014 4:17:36 GMT -8
I collected two more catocala specimens this morning. Since a front came through here and cooled things down they are the only one's that I have caught in about two weeks.
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Post by rayrard on Aug 3, 2014 8:54:23 GMT -8
The cool temperatures prevented tapping, and baiting continues to fail, but ilia, amica, lineella, and palaeogama are out for sure.
Went the to Long Island barrens and saw Catocala palaeogama - 1 C. dejecta - 1 C. gracilis - 1 C. sordida - many C. similis - many C. jair - many C. herodias - 20+
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Aug 5, 2014 4:58:14 GMT -8
Returned home from my trip West on 27 July. I collected Catocala moths in South dakota (4 species), Wyoming (9 species), Utah, (10 species), Arizona (6 species), New Mexico (4 species) and Oklahoma (7 species). I collected 214 specimens of Catocala. The last specimes was a Catocala abbreviatella from Oklahoma. The vast majority we collected with bait traps.
I will set out 12 bait traps today in Harrison, Perry and Crawford Counties in Indiana and more in Kentucky on Thursday.
Also, I found one Artia caja in Utah during the first 2 weeks of the trip. I once again I thought I missed the main flight. However, the last night I light trapped Utah was near Leidy's Peak. Once trap had 23 specimens. The other tree had another 11 specimens. I also set out bait traps in an old Aspen forest, Lots of Catocala relecta. Mounted them this AM!!
Once I have all of the Catocala from the trip mounted and identified, I will post a list.
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Post by rayrard on Aug 5, 2014 7:07:13 GMT -8
Interesting... I have been trying to find an area for C. relicta and A. caja out east here, but it seems those two are species you just have to run into one lucky night. I don't think A. caja is in CT anymore, but relicta should be upstate.
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leptraps
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Post by leptraps on Aug 5, 2014 8:37:03 GMT -8
I seem to remember that the Arctia caja occurs in northern Vermont/New Hampshire and Maine. I have taken it in Michigan several times in the 1980's. I have specimens from Ontario that were collected in the 1970's. As for Catocala relicta. When I lived in northeastern Ohio, C. relicta could be found where ever Cottonwood Poplar was common. I lived in Geauga County, Huntsburg TWP and they were common in my Bait Traps. From time to time I have collected one in Kentucky at lights. I have never taken one in a Bait Trap in Kentucky. However, White Birch is rather common in residential communities in Kentucky being planted as an ornamental. I have two in my yard. The western C. relicta is different when compared to eastern C. relicta. C. relicta is rather variable in the east. Based on my collecting, the western C. relicta only has one form. LH Colorado 2013 RH Ohio 1986 LH Colorado 2013 RH Ohio 1992 River Birch is also very common in Kentucky. I have set out Bait Traps in areas where River Birch is very common, but no C. relicta. Lots of Acronicta bulenta.
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Post by oehlkew on Aug 5, 2014 16:21:19 GMT -8
I will check lights tonight before the rains come (Wednesday and Thursday forecasts). Relicta is very common here in MOntague, Kings County, PEI, Canada, wherever there are poplar stands. We get all three forms: clara, phrynia and typical form. It is also very easy to get female relicta to lay in brown paper lunch bags and larvae are easy to rear. I use remay cloth (white material) to make the large rearing sleeves I use for Saturniidae. I often encounter the relicta resting on the large sleeves when I am in the woods in August-September and sometimes even into October. We also have an abundance of white paper birch in the woods, and that is also an excellent backdrop for the white winged moths. Also interesting that Ron White sent me a beautiful image of Catocala concumbens from Lancaster, Coos County, Maine, seven years ago on August 2, 2007. Seven years later plus one day he sent me another beauty. I think in both cases it was the first concumbens of the season, truly a beautiful moth, and also easy to get females to lay in paper bags without feeding. Bill Oehlke
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Post by multicaudata on Aug 5, 2014 18:00:03 GMT -8
Today I was tree-tapping/bark-staring in hardwood hammocks around Vacaville, CA, and went 2 for 3 against Catocala piatrix dionyza and 1 for 2 against C. irene. Not very good numbers but the specimens of "normal range" piatrix were a nice addition to my Catocala collection, to go along with my apparently extralimital Central Valley Floor specimen from 2012. There were a lot more idividuals around when I was there about two weeks ago (on a much hotter day), but I didn't manage to catch a single one! Interestingly enough, the piatrix seem to have a strong preference for roosting in blackberry thickets, at least in the Vacaville area. All the individuals I've seen there have flushed out of blackberry thickets -- never once have I found one on a tree trunk. They will, however, settle on bark after they've been flushed, and this is just about the only time they're catchable.
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Post by boghaunter1 on Aug 8, 2014 7:53:28 GMT -8
Surprise, surprise.... Finally... the 1st Catocala sp. of 2014 showed up in one of my light traps the night before, Aug. 7... one of the little yellow/black hindwinged sp... C. blandula manitoba (about 3 wks. later than normal). A very poor season here in central NE Sask., Canada for insects, especially butterflies; moths a bit better, but huge, HUGE numbers of mosquitoes, blackflies, horse & deer flies all season long & now water boatmen by the shovelful make night lighting rather discouraging(a 5 gal pail full of boatmen from my 4 traps some mornings!). All 3 fms. of C. relicta are usually common here as well. Arctia caja also relatively common here the last few yrs., but sporatic in appearance most of the time.
John K.
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Post by rayrard on Aug 8, 2014 10:52:25 GMT -8
Tapping on Tuesday (hot and humid) had dozens of Catocala in the park near here.
Catocala palaeogama - 90% were these C. ilia - a few C. innubens - 2 C. flebilis - 1 C. habilis - 1 C. ultronia - 1
The night after that, I went out with bait and a blacklight and saw only one ilia at bait and 1 palaeogama at light. This was in the same woods where there were probably 100+ on the tree trunks the day before. Does anyone know what is going on here? Do the Catocalas go somewhere else at night, and why are they ignoring bait? I have baiting around 10 times and had horrible luck with bait this season. Does it have to do with environment or is is too early in the season for bait to work well?
Light upstate brought in: Catocala retecta - 2 C. palaeogama - 6 C. palaeogama form phalanga - 1 C. lineella C. antinympha - 1 C. crataegi/blandula C. andromedae
Nothing at bait but the light still works well!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2014 14:26:21 GMT -8
I haven't been able to black light for a week now thanks to the storms that keep coming through.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2014 17:48:42 GMT -8
Collected 2 more this afternoon. One was spotted by my kid on the side of one of our rabbit cages. And I found another on a tree close by. It flew around the tree and and landed back on it. Both are fresh and perfect.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2014 5:33:14 GMT -8
Got my light sheet back up and running. Collected two catocala a couple sphinx and a couple silk moths this morning.
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