I doodled this little imagined argument between two Arta moths in 2020. On the left is the Posturing Arta (Arta statalis) and on the right is the Olive Arta (Arta olivalis).

I really like these moths. Their posture is pretty unique and it gives them some personality. Not that I don’t imagine dialogue among all the moths that I see, but these in particular were just itching to be made into a cartoon.

#lepidoptera #moth #moths #MothsMatter #TeamMoth #MothsOfOklahoma #zdufranart #pyralidae #pyralidmoth #arta #artaolivalis #artastatalis #mothjokes #mothart #anthropomorphism #artaimitatinglife #MothComic #Anthropomothism

This is the second lesson in my moth anatomy series. Every moth has a body made up of three distinct parts. It is often hard to see these parts because the wings are covering two of the sections (thorax and abdomen) and sometimes long “fur” (actually scales) obstruct a view of the third section (the head).

I have selected a Green Broomweed Looper Moth (Fernaldella fimetaria) because it offers a pretty good view of these three sections in profile.

First, the head is the small section circled in orange. The most prominent features of the head are the eyes and the protruding antennae. The head may also include mouth parts for feeding, though not all moths eat. Sometimes there are long “palps” that protrude from the mouth.

Second, the section immediately connected to the head which is circled in blue is the thorax. This is a very important part of the body, as it is where the four wings and six legs connect. This section is all about movement.

Third, the final section of the body which is circled in green is called the abdomen. This is the long “tail” of the body. It’s primary responsibilities are digestion and sexual reproduction. In most moth species the abdomen is larger for females than males because eggs take up space.

#MothAnatomy #GreenBroomweedLooperMoth #Fernaldella #Lepidoptera #moth #moths #MothsMatter #TeamMoth #MothsOfOklahoma #macrophotography #naturephotography

Ptilodon capucina

I’m going to share some moth anatomy and I’m starting off with a very easy lesson. All moths have two pairs of wings. Sometimes only one pair of wings can be seen because many species rest with the upper wings covering the lower wings. The upper wings are called the forewings and the lower ones are called hindwings. These two pairs of wings are sometimes abbreviated FW and HW.

Moth wings are covered in tiny scales, which is the defining feature of moths and butterflies (Order Lepidoptera). The two pair of wings flap together, providing maximum lift all at once.

I chose a so-called underwing moth (Catocala sp.) for this anatomy lesson because of the contrast between the forewings and hindwings. Underwing moths like the one pictured have very cryptic forewings that blend in with bark or rocks where the moth is likely to land and spend most of its time at rest. Meanwhile the hindwings have sharply contrasting bands of black and orange. This serves as a surprise and a distraction when a predator approaches the moth and it suddenly bursts into flight. So wings serve the moth as more than just a mechanism of mobility, but also a means of survival.

#MothAnatomy #Catocala #UnderwingMoth #Lepidoptera #moth #moths #MothsMatter #TeamMoth #MothsOfOklahoma #macrophotography #naturephotography

Emerald moths are a subfamily of the Geometridae family. They are mostly green and have the same basic shape, with broad wings which rest open, showing both the forewings and hindwings. These two species are from the same genus and are quite similar. The Red-bordered Emerald (Nemoria lixaria) is aptly named with a series of red scallops lining the terminal edge of all of the wings. Meanwhile, the White-barred Emerald (Nemoria bifilata) has a faint series of dashes that are more brown-red. The name for this one is confusing because there is no obvious white bar. That is because there are two subspecies of the White-barred Emerald. Do you see that series of white dots outlined in red down the center of the body? That feature is present in the subspecies (N. bifilata planuscula) that occurs in Oklahoma and Texas. The subspecies that occurs in the eastern United States (N. bifilata bifilata) has a broad white line in that region, which is where the name originated.

#MothComparison #MothComparisonMonday #Nemoria #NemoriaBifilata #NemoriaLixaria #Geometrinae #Geometridae #lepidoptera #moth #moths #MothsMatter #TeamMoth #MothsOfOklahoma #macrophotography #naturephotography

A new moth for the year, and it's a lovely one! This is a male, one of two in the moth-trap this morning. Females are paler, almost transparent, compared to the male.

I’ve been featuring several Schinia moths recently. Here is another! This is the Chrysellus Flower Moth (Schinia chrysellus) along with its host plant, the Prairie Broomweed (Amphiachyris dracunculoides). Both the moth and the plant are mostly confined to Texas and Oklahoma, with some outliers just beyond those two states. It’s a very attractive moth with a shimmery white base and gold brown markings overlaid. Maybe I’ll need to try to grow this plant in my pollinator garden and see if I get some caterpillars.

#ChrysellusSchinia #Schinia #SchiniaChrysellus #PrairieBroomweed #Noctuidae #HostPlant #lepidoptera #moth #moths #MothsMatter #TeamMoth #MothsOfOklahoma #mothsofinstagram #macrophotography #naturephotography

Three Hebrew Characters in the trap 18-3-14

This is the fifth lesson in my moth anatomy series. There are moths with many spots in many different places on the wings, but I am focusing on the two most common in this post. These two spots occur on the forewings of many moths in the Noctuidae family, in particular.

The orbicular spot, outlined in blue, is located on the upper half of the forewing, usually about 1/3 of the way from the head. This spot is often round and smaller than the next spot.

The reniform spot, outlined in orange, is located in the lower half of the forewing, usually about 2/3 of the way from the head. This spot is often kidney-shaped, which is what the word “reniform” means.

Like the two lines I highlighted in the last anatomy post, these spots are mostly useful for identification purposes.

The model for this post is the Spotted Phosphila (Phosphila miselioides).

#MothAnatomy #SpottedPhosphila #Phosphila #PhosphilaMiselioides #Noctuidae

#lepidoptera #moth #moths #MothsMatter #TeamMoth #MothsOfOklahoma #macrophotography #naturephotography

Pete had to pay for Arg's mozzarella sticks because she did push-ups on the 1 train

Common Quaker in trap 18-3-14

It’s another Moth Comparison Monday! Had you noticed I always post these on Mondays? Yeah, it’s a thing.

This week’s selection of moths are from the genus Pyrausta, known as Mint Moths because of their preference for eating plants from the Mint family (Lamiaceae). All four have pink and yellow and can be mistaken for one another by an inexperienced observer.

Southern Purple Mint Moth (P. laticlavia)

Coffee-loving Pyrausta (P. tyralis)

Yellow-banded Pyrausta (P. pseuderosnealis)

Volupial Mint Moth (P. volupialis)

#Pyrausta #Crambidae #MothComparison #lepidoptera #moth #moths #MothsMatter #TeamMoth #MothsOfOklahoma #macrophotography