Maandag Moth

De mot van vandaag is een ingetogen bruine Crambidae, Loxostege brunneittincta. Hoewel dit geen bijzonder boeiende mot is, heeft het wel een interessant verhaal dat de behoefte aan wetenschappelijke collecties en museumleningen illustreert. Als je de afbeelding op het etiket leest, zul je merken dat de mot oorspronkelijk werd verzameld in 1927 by E. P. Van . . . → Lees meer: Maandag Moth

Terug naar Bloggen!

Zoals ik weet zeker dat je hebt gemerkt dingen zijn erg stil geweest hier in de buurt voor de laatste twee maanden. Het grootste deel van januari was ik bezig met een verhuizing, van San Francisco naar Chicago. Unfortunately the foundation that was supporting my work at the California Academy of Sciences had some tough financial calls to make and my position . . . → Lees meer: Terug naar Bloggen!

Maandag Moth

Trosia nigrorufa (Megalopygidae)

 

This Monday moth is a stunning female of the Neotropical MegalopygidaeTrosia nigrorufa. Ed Ross and Ev Schlinger collected this specimen in Peru in 1955, and I’ve heard many stories about these epic expeditions. I can’t really imagine travelling via cargo ship, being gone for six or more . . . → Lees meer: Maandag Moth

Maandag Moth

Oops, I skipped last monday’s moth, so here are two! These are some stunners from the CAS Philippines expedition and I think I have figured out their names. If you know better, please correct me.

 

Parasa darma (Limacodidae)

 

Parotis marginata (Crambidae)

 

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Insects of the Philippines I

A month ago or so the California Academy of Sciences launched a full fledged expedition to the Philippines. While the majority of the cash was spent on a clipper ship and dive teams, there was a terrestrial component. While I didn’t get to go (and sat at home and pouted), I did talk some of . . . → Lees meer: Insects of the Philippines I

Maandag Moth

Last week Jim Hayden guessed the moth I posted was an Australian Oecophoridae. It was a good guess because there are so many large and stunning moths in this family from Australia. One of the best has to be this one, Wingia lambertella (Oecophoridae), captured on Black Mountain in Canberra October 23, 1955 (CAS collections). . . . → Lees meer: Maandag Moth

Maandag Moth

ANSWER: This wasn’t easybut this large and beautiful moth was from Australia and is in the family Xyloryctidae (Philarista sp.). We have a handful of representatives of this group here in the US and Ted MacRae over on Beetles in the Bush has a few great photographs of them. Somehow I think we . . . → Lees meer: Maandag Moth

Maandag Moth

I’ll keep the ball rolling with Arctiinae and post a photo today of Ctenucha brunnea. This moth can be common in tall grasses along beaches from San Francisco to LAalthough in recent decades the numbers of this moth have been declining with habitat destruction and the invasion of beach grass (Ammophila arenaria). Maar . . . → Lees meer: Maandag Moth

Maandag Moth

Ik ga de bal aan het rollen houden met deze serie en proberen het regelmatiger te maken. Ik zal me ook concentreren op het uitlichten van elke week een nieuwe soort uit de enorme collecties hier in de California Academy of Sciences. Dit zou me genoeg materiaal moeten geven voor… minstens een paar honderd jaar.

Grammia . . . → Lees meer: Maandag Moth

The Arachnologists have landed

OK, not an insect

 

For the next three weeks my colleagues from the Arachnology lab at the California Academy of Sciences are in the Philippines! (no, not jealous at all…) The trip is part of the CAS Hearst expedition, a massive effort spanning all of our research departments to survey . . . → Lees meer: The Arachnologists have landed