2020 March 18

 

    Jochen Möhr writes that the abundance of moths at his Metchosin home continues.  Thus this morning:

 

21 Eupithecias (among them some new ones, probably not annulata)

17 Hydriomena manzanita

1 Lithophane petulca

3 Orthosia praeses 

3 Triphosa haesitata 

3 Venusia obsoleta / pearsalli

 

   Here is a selection of photographs:

 

Lithophane petulca (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Möhr

(Larval foodplant Alder – and probably other caterpillars!)

Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

(Aslo Alder, but I think it is an innocent vegetarian)

 

Orthosia praeses (Lep.: Noctuidae) Jochen Möhr

This nice orange ruff on the front of the thorax is an aid to its identification.

 

American Tissue Moth Triphosa haesitata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

The foodplant is restricted to Frangula.  The adult moth hibernates – sometimes in numbers in caves.

 

 

The pugs are a large genus, many of which are challenging to identify.  This one is probably one of the difficult pair Eupithecia annulata/oleracea, both of which feed on conifers.

Eupithecia annulata/oleracea (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

 

  This next pug, a fairly large one, is boldly marked, and, one would hope, easy to identify.  Alas, it is one of two look-alikes, E. ravocostaliata and E. nevadata.  The mid-costal dark patch is supposed to be triangular (like this one) on nevadata and rectangular on ravocostaliata – but who knows?  I haven’t reared either, writes Jeremy Tatum, but the caterpillar of ravocostaliata has been found on Salix.

Pronunciation:   RAY-vo costallyAHta.

 

Eupithecia nevadata/ravocostaliata (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr

 

   The pugs are not the only small geometrids that are hard to identifiy.  The two waves Venusia obsoleta and V. pearsalli are a difficult pair.

 

Venusia obsoleta/pearsalli (Lep.: Geometridae) Jochen Möhr