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Post by vabrou on Feb 9, 2022 16:27:57 GMT -8
Catocala umbrosa Brou Holotype male 2002 Type locality: Abita Entomological Study Site, near Abita Springs, Louisiana, USA
Here is a moth that was known for 170 years and no one ever looked at the genitalia, nor formerly described it as a species. It had mistakenly remained as a form of Catocala ilia, which it is not. I captured thousands of adults of both species and discovered umbrosa has a flight period peaking 10 days later at the very same location as Catocala ilia. Also the genitalia is very different and distinct from Catocala ilia. Here is one the so-called experts missed.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 9, 2022 16:29:13 GMT -8
Catocala atocala Brou 1985 This species was previously considered a rare aberration of Catocala agrippina Strecker, but is distinct in both maculation and male genitalia. Again no one bothered looking at the genitalia of this species.
This is another one the experts missed as it has been known and illustrated in several major Catocala publications, e.g. Bames, W. and J. McDunnough. 1918.
Type locality: Edgard, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, USA 18 June 1982, V. A. Brou Jr.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 9, 2022 16:44:42 GMT -8
Phenograms illustrating different flight periods of Catocala umbrosa vs Catocala ilia at the very same location in Louisiana.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 9, 2022 16:48:15 GMT -8
The most unique Catocala specimen anywhere in the world. Catocala agrippina, bilateral aberrant and bilateral gynandromorph Ex Louisiana, USA  |
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Post by rayrard on Feb 9, 2022 18:26:11 GMT -8
Not sure how anyone could miss C. atocala as unique. I've never seen an agrippina that color! I can give people a break on umbrosa as the variability of ilia was always a problem.
I think new Catocala are still popping up. I think C. myristica was described very recently and is another large species with a very unique flight pattern. Being a group so popular with collectors, there is still a lot of work to do on them. Maybe one of these days we'll get the MONA fascicle.
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Post by exoticimports on Feb 9, 2022 18:36:32 GMT -8
I, like most people, trust the published experts. If they say it’s an abberation, or a hybrid, I’ve always taken their word. Quickly I’m learning that’s been a mistake.
But how you guys can see any difference in catocala is beyond me. They all look the same to me. I grab them and put them on a pin, let God sort them out.
Chuck
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Post by vabrou on Feb 10, 2022 5:48:32 GMT -8
Chuck,
I learned long ago that the only experts are you, yourself. An expert is only a perceived expert until the next publication comes along. In reality, a published work becomes obsolete the moment it is printed. But print is hugely superior to anything found on the web which is 100% temporary, changes constantly, even numerous times daily, appears and disappears, and reappears..... Todays researchers understand this concept, which is how publications found on the web today are first published in permanent print format. Website are subject to the will of whomever is clicking the mouse at any given moment. Want to change something, one must create a new document, telling us why, how, if, and, and but....
For this reason some years ago I removed all of hundreds of images off of Moth Photographers Group, and others, which I help to start several decades ago. Idiots with a shoe box collection kept under their beds were made moderators over sections of the site and didn't know how to spell taxonomy, much less anything about the ICZN. I don't have time to argue with fools. I'm not going to live that long.
We have a half century of the monumental series MONA, yet the public has never been told about any of the hundreds of known errors appearing in these tomes. For example 8 species of known NA hawkmoths were not included in the very first MONA Fascicle (1970-71). And several other boo-boos were included in that volume as well. Some of these authors have done a bang-up job, but some as in the Clearwing moths fascicle (1988) is probably the most poorly done of all over the past half century; treating 129 species. I personally believe there are actually over 1,000 species of clearwing moths in NA above Mexico. If myself with the help of my wife can discover ~25 clearwing moth species new to science in my one state of Louisiana, without the aid of others nor any governmental or institutional funding, imagine what will come to light when knowledgeable researchers work on this family in NA.
Another example is when the Saturnid fascicle addressing the genus Automeris. As soon as I received it, I immediately sent Doug Ferguson some A. io lilith and examples of a new undescribed species from Louisiana. He was upset that I had not shown him this entity prior to the publication of his MONA Fascicle. I told him when you keep your research a secrete, that is what will happen.
You need to realize that much of our scientific literature is based upon the the personal experiences of the authors, and quite often are simply personal opinion, not necessarily fact, regardless of how many acronyms follow their names, nor how many BS accolades are bestowed upon their publications.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 10, 2022 8:39:41 GMT -8
Rayrard, Actually, I have discovered at least 8 new undescribed species of Catocala here in Louisiana. Anyone can do these things. I did them while raising a family and two children, obtaining two degrees, working 60-70-80 hours every week of my life. I chose long ago to not believe anything someone says or publishes, but one should investigate these matters yourself and make your own discoveries and conclusions. But one must read everything you can get your hands upon. Along with having a large research collection I have accumulated several rooms of entomological literature. The library is an absolute necessity if one plans on publishing. And I have published 438 entomological investigations so far, new species descriptions, generic revisions, long term investigations, on and on..... Here are a couple of obvious aberrations of Catocala muliercula. I capture this species here at my home and during three years of the past 40 years at this location, this species had huge population explosions where each and every day during the month of June my traps have captured ~1,000 adults of just this species (>30,000/month). Though, I have actually captured this species much of the past 50+ years in Louisiana. C. muliaercula flies here second week of May into early August. If one collects huge quantities of insects for many decades, it is quite likely you will come across aberrations, gynandromorphs, and other odd specimens. My home locations has been written about in: Schweitzer, D.F., M.C. Minno, and D.L. Wagner. 2011. Rare, declining, and poorly known butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) of forests and woodlands in the eastern United States. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team. In that hardcover publication, the one location in which more Catocala species have been recorded from in North America is the Abita Entomology study site (my home). I say this true only because more collecting trap hours (~41,000,000) has occurred there than any other. Regarding the MONA Fascicle on Catocala, I have worked with three individuals who have been designated to author that volume. The current person no doubt is turning this publication into a voluminous tome since he has been working on it for over 40 years. I have stayed out of this quagmire, FOR WE ALL REALIZE THERE ARE ABOUT 5 MILLION SELF-PROCLAIMED WORLD EXPERTS ON CATOCALA PRESENTLY.  |
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Post by vabrou on Feb 11, 2022 5:15:43 GMT -8
Here is an old photo illustrating a drawer of Catocala umbrosa Brou What you will notice is the overall monotone brown/gray color. There are no appreciable white markings as in Catocala ilia.
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Post by vabrou on Feb 11, 2022 5:22:57 GMT -8
Here is a rather pretty underwing, Catocala alabamae, a male, captured at the Abita Entomological Study Site, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA This species is more likely to be captured in fermenting fruit bait traps, than with UV light traps.  |
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Post by vabrou on Feb 11, 2022 5:28:10 GMT -8
Catocala messalina male a sought after underwing species in the USA.  |
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Post by trehopr1 on Feb 11, 2022 12:04:31 GMT -8
Vernon, what can you tell us about the occurrences of C. sappho or C. carissimma in Louisiana ?
Both species are exceptionally nice but, seem to be relegated to the gulf coast states and (part way) into the southern states (Tennessee). Much further north than that they are either non-existent or appear as strays or very localized (sappho).
I have personally collected sappho (three) times over the years of my collecting efforts in the far southern counties of Illinois. Was told by a knowledgeable Illinois collector that that species has not been found here in over 100 years !
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Post by vabrou on Feb 11, 2022 14:39:56 GMT -8
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Post by vabrou on Feb 11, 2022 19:49:36 GMT -8
Catocala lincolnana Brower male From Abita Entomological study site, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA
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Post by vabrou on Feb 11, 2022 19:54:16 GMT -8
Catocala olivia female, Abita Entomological Study Site, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, USA. Taken in UV light trap. I have 10 of these, that is more than anyone in North America. This species is probably just a form of Catocala alabama.  |
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