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 . . . → Read More: Insects of the Philippines I
 2 comments - (Comments are closed)  Entomology  Butterflies, California Academy of Sciences, Collecting, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Philippines 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). . . . → Read More: Monday Moth Share this! One comment - (Comments are closed) Entomology California Academy of Sciences, Entomology, Invasive Species, Lepidoptera, Moths, Photography This GOP is less of a challenge and more of a simple roundup of miserable stock photography. Alex Wild and others have long ago pointed out the massive failings of many stock photo sites – but here is a brief and painful lep roundup using Google. Step 1: Image search “moth on flower”. Step 2: . . . → Read More: Genius of the Press XX Share this! 5 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Bad Science, Butterflies, Contest, Entomology, Flowers, Lepidoptera, Media ANSWER: This wasn’t easy – but 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 . . . → Read More: Monday Moth Share this! 8 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology California Academy of Sciences, Contest, Entomology, Moths, Photography, Species These large and interesting Lycidae beetles (Lycus fernandezi) were abundant in south eastern Arizona a few weeks ago. Constantly flying between flowers and moist sand they were making for easy photography targets. I thought to myself “here is a great opportunity to catch a beetle taking off!”. Wait for it… Lycus fernandezi (Lycidae) . . . → Read More: Net-Winged Beetle Share this!Here is another wonderful video from Warren! I am guessing this is a Choreutidae because of the way the wings are held while dancing – although it’s too fast to really get a clear look. Given that it’s from a fauna I’m totally unfamiliar with I could easily be wrong – so please correct me . . . → Read More: Dancing Moth Share this!Fresh off the presses, the Miami Blue Butterfly (MBB) is now listed as federally endangered by act of an emergency provision. Huzzah! (right?) Miami Blue Butterfly from Butterflies of America My first thought was “wait, wasn’t this already endangered?”. Yes, turns out the MBB has been state-endangered since 2002 after a previous emergency . . . → Read More: NABA Turns Fish and Wildlife into Brainless Zombies Share this! 9 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology, Skepticism Bad Science, Butterflies, Conservation, Entomology, Fish and Wildlife, Law, Lepidoptera, NABA, Skepticism, USFWS
This week’s moth is a video of a dancing micro from the Philippines (taken by Warren Laurde). As you might suspect this is a mating display that ends in a pretty spectacular headstand. There are lots of other microleps that have dancing or display behavior, but there are almost no other videos online . . . → Read More: Monday Moth Share this! 3 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Behavior, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Mating, Microlepidoptera, Moths, Philippines Chiricahua multidentata (Geometridae) This Monday’s moth is a spectacular species from the mountains of Arizona – Chiricahua multidentata, a Geometrid. The only known location for this species is at the very top of the Chiricahua mountains above 9,000 feet (which was just bruned to a crisp). Hopefully the fire was not . . . → Read More: Monday Moth Share this!It’s been a little while since the last GOP challenge, but this is a softball. I’m hoping they were just too lazy to find a more suitable image…
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