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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Oct 25, 2011 1:15:49 GMT -8
I have found yet another large heavily tattered moth that I cannot seem to identify. The wingspan on this moth is 95mm. Attachments:
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Oct 25, 2011 1:16:36 GMT -8
Here is the bottom view. Attachments:
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Post by wingedwishes on Oct 25, 2011 2:30:52 GMT -8
I'm thinking Catocala residua?
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Oct 25, 2011 2:50:57 GMT -8
I had looked at that one but the size, season, and the white spot on the upper portion of the hindwings have me unsure about that. According to my research, the residua flies from July to September and has a wingspan of 60-73mm. This one was taken October 23 and has a wingspan of 95mm.
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Post by starlightcriminal on Oct 25, 2011 10:56:16 GMT -8
Oh boy, I'm not so good with Catocala but my guess is Catocala maestosa. There are a couple of things though- one is that it is faded (if you google image search maestosa you will see some other worn examples that have a strikingly similar appearance, especially the darker crescent shapes at the outer tips of the forewings). The other things is that troubling white dot visible on the left in your photo. In this picture, it looks like the dot is only on the left. Is it really a patch of white scales or is it a rubbed spot with the white styrofoam showing through? Maybe just an abberant patch?
I don't know of any Catocala locally that have white dots there but they can be fairly restricted in their range in some cases so it's completely possible that it is something that doesn't occur much farther south, I couldn't comment one way or the other on Catocala that occur outside of Florida.
I really strongly suspect otherwise that it is C. maestosa. I tried to get a link to the worn image that looks exactly right save the white dot, but Google images links to a page that has the image nested inside somewhere I can't find. Try the GI search yourself and see what you think, sorry I can't be of more assistance in this regard.
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Oct 25, 2011 11:26:13 GMT -8
It doesn't show up as well in the photo, but it has a matching spot on the right hindwing. The one on the left seems to be a bit more translucent so with the styrofoam underneath, it became more visible in the photo. My photography skills are lacking so I am unsure how to get a shot of it looking just like it looks in person. Everything but the spots turned out true with a bit of color correction. The one on the left turned out a bit brighter and the one on the right turned out darker than seeing it in person.
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Post by Rev. Redmond Farrier on Oct 25, 2011 21:34:20 GMT -8
I have been digging deeper and discovered that a very similar moth has what appears to be faint spots in the same spot as the ones on mine, the Catocala vidua. The problem is the size range. According to my search, it ranges from 70-80mm. Everything else matches up though. The wings are so faded that my untrained eye cannot differentiate the patterns on the forewings that would tell me if it is a maestosa or a vidua. Both should be in flight in this area at this time and both use pecan as a food plant. (I have an abundance of pecan trees on my property.) Due to the size, I lean towards maestosa, but then I come back to those hindwing spots and cannot settle on it. Where is Bill Oehlke when we need him? lol I bet he could tell us what I have found with one glance.  |
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Post by starlightcriminal on Oct 26, 2011 4:54:24 GMT -8
That's just what I was thinking, lol.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2011 14:25:45 GMT -8
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Post by starlightcriminal on Oct 27, 2011 6:44:29 GMT -8
I thought those solitary FW markings were distinctive, they are in my collection. C. maestosa it is.
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