Thursday, May 14, 2009

Arctiidae part 2

A second moth has emerged, which this time was able to fully pump its wings and looks much better. I suspect it is a male, because the female had non-feathery antennae and was laying eggs - more elaborate antennae is necessary for males to find females, as females release pheromones to attract mates. Also, the abdomen and hind wings are less pink, but that may simply be due to the lack of hemolymph in the female. Here are the pictures, which are much nicer compared to the other specimen.





Lepidoptera; Noctuoidea; Arctiidae; Arctiinae; Arctiini; Gramma nevadensis
Common Name: Nevada Tiger Moth

I am more confident in the identification now that the wings are more inflated and the color and markings are more accurate.

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