This beautiful animal is a moth I reared from Quercus palmeri down in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. It’s in the family Gracillariidae and most likely in the genus Acrocercops – according to Dave Wagner it may represent a new species, but that’s not an uncommon thing with small moths. It was fairly abundant, so . . . → Read More: Monday Moth
 2 comments - (Comments are closed)  Entomology  Arizona, Collecting, Colorado, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Monday Moth, Moths, New Species, Photography, Rearing I came across this short article today claiming that this recent description of the hairstreak butterfly, Ministrymon janevicroy Glassberg 2013, may in fact be the “last truly distinctive butterfly species left to be discovered in the United States…. [and] the era of new U.S. butterfly species is ending”. I find that statement a little bit . . . → Read More: The Last Butterfly Described in the US? Share this! Comments are closed Entomology Butterflies, Collecting, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae, New Species
This week I’m sharing a tiny, scruffy, and semi-competently spread Nepticulidae in the genus Stigmella from the same light trap of Prescott Arizona as the past few Monday Moths. I usually wouldn’t share a photo of a moth that isn’t in the best condition, but I’m using this as an example of . . . → Read More: Monday Moth Share this! Comments are closed Entomology Arizona, Lepidoptera, Microlepidoptera, Monday Moth, Nepticulidae, New Species, Spreading Moths 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 That’s how the saying goes, right? Two weeks ago I participated in the 5th annual National Geographic BioBlitz over in Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona. It was a great excuse to get back into the field and it was the first time I collected Arizona in the fall. Temps were still pushing the mid . . . → Read More: Busy as a Moth Share this! Comments are closed Entomology Arizona, BioBlitz, Collecting, Conservation, Entomology, Lepidoptera, Moths, National Geographic, New Species Maps/containment % updated: 16 June As July approaches I being to look forward to the Pacific Coast meeting of the Lepidopterists’ Society. This year it will take place in Prescott Arizona, about 2 hours north of Phoenix. And as of this moment it is one of the few places in Arizona not on fire. . . . → Read More: Arizona on Fire Share this! One comment - (Comments are closed) Entomology Arizona, Conservation, Entomology, Fire, Hazards of Collecting, New Species Lasia klettii: Photos by April Nobile, CAS For the most part flies are not an insect I get overly excited about. However, the enigmatic family Acroceridae are the exception. I’ll start sharing some interesting genera from time to time – the morphology of the family is amazingly diverse. Most of my days . . . → Read More: Flies can be (really) cool Share this! 9 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Acroceridae, Diptera, Entomology, Flies, Museums, New Species, Spiders
The family Nepticulidae hold some of the smallest moths known, ranging from 3-8mm wing-tip to wing-tip. For a comparison I have imaged two moths above: the largest known – Coscinocera hercules that tips the scales at nearly 9 inches, and one of the smallest (yes that tiny little speck . . . → Read More: The tiniest of moths Share this! 7 comments - (Comments are closed) Entomology Entomology, Lepidoptera, Microlepidoptera, Moths, Nepticulidae, New Species, Paleontology, Pests The early Cambrian seas (542-488 million years ago) had a plethora of strange and bizarre creatures almost unimaginable to even the best sci-fi dreamer. As possibly one of the precursors to the Arthropoda (also Onychophora and Tardigrada), the lobopodian lineages represent a strange group of “worms with legs” that once roamed the . . . → Read More: A strange armored lobopodian from the Cambrian Share this! 6 comments - (Comments are closed) Miscellaneous, Science News Arthropoda, Evolution, Fossil, New Species, Paleontology Oops, looks like I missed my first ‘blogoversary’! Monday the 21st was the one year turning point for my blog; and I’m incredibly happy to have spent the last year sharing some of my ramblings with all of you. I’ve somewhat lost track of how many hits I’ve had since I moved everything . . . → Read More: A Year in Review Share this! Comments are closed Miscellaneous Blogoversary, Entomology, Moths, New Species, Photography, Skepticism |
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