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The story of many San Francisco butterflies are well known and depressing. The area has been heavily impacted by human development for over two centuries and is the infamous home to the first known example of an extinct American butterfly, the Xerces blue. While other butterflies are hanging on, or getting help to hang on . . . → Read More: When Taxonomy Makes a Species Less Critically Endangered Share this! Comments are closed  Entomology  Bay Checkerspot, Butterflies, California, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered Species, Entomology, Lepidoptera How about another unidentified Gelechiidae from the same location as the previous specimen (nr. Prescott Arizona). I’m taking a stab at this moth being in the genus Chionodes – and it is superficially similar to the species C. continuella. Thankfully there is a monograph of this group (Moths of America North of Mexico, fascicle 7.6) . . . → Read More: Monday Moth Share this! 2 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Arizona, Entomology, Gelechiidae, Genitalia, Lepidoptera, Monday Moth, Moths, Unidentified
This moth is a good example of what a lot of my moths are at the moment – unidentified! This is certainly a Gelechiidae, you can see the large upturned palps on the front of the head, and a finger-shaped projection on the tips of the hindwings. Just about one of the easiest . . . → Read More: Monday Moth Share this! 5 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Arizona, Entomology, Gelechiidae, Lepidoptera, Microlepidoptera, Monday Moth, Moths, Unidentified A few months ago many of you probably stumbled across this meme – the famous Poodle Moth! And indeed for the most part the reporting was half decent. Yes, it’s real. Yes, it’s a moth. Yes, it’s probably a species in the Lasiocampidae (possibly the genus Artace) as correctly pointed out by Dr. John Rawlins. . . . → Read More: The Poodle Moth and the Problem of Cryptozoology Share this! 2 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology, Skepticism Bad Science, Cryptozoology, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Moths, New Species, Pseudoscience, Skepticism Welcome to the new home of the Skeptical Moth! I know updating blogrolls isn’t all that fun, but thank you for sticking with me. And since it’s Monday – here is an Automeris io (Saturniidae) from southern Illinois, May 2012.
Cheers and Happy New Year! . . . → Read More: Welcome To The New Location! Share this! 7 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology, Miscellaneous "Trail of Tears State Forest", Announcement, Entomology, Illinois, Lepidoptera, Moths, Photography, Saturniidae Today’s moth is a stunning micro and another creature from Barb Bartell’s back yard in the Rockies. To the best of my knowledge it’s a species of Mompha (Coleophoridae), probably claudiella,but I don’t have a positive ID on this bug yet. Once I start digging through the micros from this site there are sure to . . . → Read More: Monday Moth Share this! 2 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Microlepidoptera, Monday Moth, Moths To reignite the Monday Moth series here is a stunner: Melemaea magdalena (Geometridae).
This rare beauty has previously only been known from scattered localities across the mountain west and only from a few individuals every other season. That is until Denver Museum volunteer Barbara Bartell began inventorying moths on her property near Golden . . . → Read More: Monday Moth Share this! One comment - (Comments are closed) Entomology Colorado, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Entomology, Geometridae, Lepidoptera, Monday Moth, Moths, Museums
Leave it to Denver to combine two things perfect for this blog – entomology and skepticism! If you haven’t seen these clips then take a second to watch the video above. At the very least this appears to be a real phenomenon, camera crews from the news station were able . . . → Read More: UFO Swarms Over Denver Share this! One comment - (Comments are closed) Entomology, Skepticism Aliens, Denver, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Entomology, KDVR, Media, Skepticism, UFO A Monday moth in fuzzy pink – Dryocampa rubicunda (Saturniidae). These rosy maple moths are pretty common in southern Illinois, but always a stunner when they come to light. . . . → Read More: Fuzzy Pink Monday Moth Share this! 6 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Entomology, Illinois, Lepidoptera, Monday Moth, Moths, Saturniidae |
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