Palthis asopialis
Family Erebidae, subfamily Herminiinae
Photograph copyright by Tony Leukering
22 June 2012
West Cape May
CMMP block X02
Faint-spotted Palthis is a member of the group called the litter moths, typically being found during the day roosting among the leaf litter and most of which have a strong equilateral-triangle shape. This species is yet another whose English name is not so English and is one of only two members in the genus, the other being Dark-spotted Palthis. Oddly enough, the best distinguishing characteristic of the present species is the dark spot or patch at the apex of the forewing (inside that scooped out bit at the wingtip); Dark-spotted Palthis is orange to rufescent there.
The two members of the genus share the same odd wing posture, with that upraised kink in the forewing. This posture is, presumably, yet another adaptation that moths have derived to not look like food. The idea is that if one doesn't present the shape that all those other moths do, predators, probably avian predators in particular, will not think one is food. It also behooves a beast employing such strategy to not be too common, either in absolute abundance or in specioseness (if I may coin a term), else more birds (or whatever) might just sample the fare anyway, learning that the odd shape is also food. Indeed, while Faint-spotted Palthis is not rare, it is also apparently not all that common. Of the 100s of moths captured per night, Mike Crewe catches only a few a night in his trap (such as the one pictured here) and Sam Galick's black light brings in only the odd individual or two on any given night.
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