lepidopterology – Kettinki

2024-10-02 @ 16.50.06 ∈ In English

Clearwing tropical moths travel 4,500 miles from Guyana to Port Talbot

[The moths] were spotted on a windowsill in the winter by ecologist Daisy Cadet and her mother Ashleigh in what scientists have described as an "improbable event" that "defies rational explanation". Through DNA analysis, the scientists confirmed the moths were not only a non-UK species, they were also previously unknown to science.

2024-07-15 @ 16.59.40 ∈ Suomeksi

Suomeen pölähti yllättäen satojatuhansia perhosia, jotka ovat täällä harvinaisia

Vaelluksen seurauksena tarharengaskehrääjiä havaittiin runsaasti Helsingin ja Hangon välisellä alueella, erityisesti Inkoon ja Kirkkonummen välillä. Yhden yön aikana perhosharrastajien valopisteille kehrääjiä saapui jopa satoja. Kaikkiaan Suomeen vaelsi arviolta satoja tuhansia perhosia.

2024-07-05 @ 10.15.23 ∈ In English

Identifier Profile: @k8thegr8 · iNaturalist

If you’re photographing a caterpillar, Kate recommends getting at least three photos: one the top of the caterpillar, one of the side showing all the sets of legs, and a photo of the face (aka head capsule). It’s also really important to note the host plant (or make an observation of the host plant and get it identified on iNat). Even then, she reminds us that not all caterpillars (or adults) can be identified to the species level from photos alone.

2024-07-05 @ 9.59.36 ∈ In English

(From last week)

Butterflies cross Atlantic ocean on 2,600-mile non-stop flight never recorded in any insect before

Painted lady butterflies discovered in French Guiana — thousands of miles from their usual habitats — got there through a Herculean transoceanic flight.

2024-02-21 @ 18.56.02 ∈ In English

Analysis shows butterfly and moth genomes are mostly unchanged despite 250 million years of evolution

The team found not only were chromosomes incredibly stable, but the order of genes within them was too. […] However, researchers uncovered a rare subset of species such as the blue butterflies—Lysandra—and the group containing cabbage white butterflies—Pieris—that underwent extensive chromosome reshuffling[.]

2024-01-18 @ 11.56.28 ∈ In English

(TIL: Word-initial ff)

Butterflies could lose spots as climate warms

[New] study shows the eyespot variation is caused by thermal plasticity (the ability to react to changing temperatures) [instead of genetic polymorphism (the co-existence of multiple genetic forms in a single population)."

2024-01-09 @ 12.49.58 ∈ In English

(The Catalan populations rely on postural thermoregulation, if I’m reading the study correctly.)

Study finds Spanish butterflies are better at regulating their body temperature than their British cousins

Butterflies in both countries switch from heat-seeking to heat-avoiding behavior once air temperatures reach approximately 22°C. [British populations depend] more on microclimates for thermoregulation than Catalan populations.

2023-11-24 @ 10.26.38 ∈ In English

Moth found in West London is a new species from Australia

In 2021 an amateur moth-er living in Ealing, West London, opened her moth trap to find something she didn’t recognise. […] Detailed analysis of the moth, including both morphology and DNA, revealed that the insect was indeed a new species to science, but one that is native to Western Australia rather than Ealing.

2023-11-13 @ 19.28.16 ∈ In English

Mysterious new moth species discovered in Europe

The moth, named Mirlatia arcuata, […] is one of the most remarkable discoveries in Lepidoptera of recent decades. […] Initial genetic data from the mitochondrial COI barcode, as well as characteristics of the tympanal organ (auditory organ), point to a largely independent systematic position of the species.

2023-08-12 @ 15.21.18 ∈ Suomeksi

Harvinainen jättiperhonen havaittu pohjoiskarjalaisen hevostallin ikkunalta

Pohjois-Karjalan Valtimolla on havaittu Suomen oloissa harvinainen jättiperhonen. Noin kymmensenttinen oleanterikiitäjä elää tavallisesti subtrooppisella alueella Afrikassa.