Bent-line Carpet (7416)

Costaconvexa centrostrigaria

Family Geometridae, subfamily Laurentiinae

Photograph copyright by Tony Leukering

5 July 2012

Near Whitesboro

CMMP block S07

Distribution map

With this installment, we go back to the large and varied family, Geometridae. As noted previously, the full-spread wing posture of the pictured beast is typical of the family and not matched by many other species, particularly among the smaller to medium-sized moths. Bent-line Carpet is a very common and widespread species, coming to lighting in small numbers, but through a very large part of the moth year. The sexes differ in appearance and, like many moth species, this one is quite individually variable in precise extent of darker coloration; all share at least the dark forewing apical patch and at least thin dark bands at the antemeridian and postmeridian lines.

The subfamily housing the carpets also houses the pugs, a group of generally small moths with very short hindwings that give them a distinctive look that allows for immediate identification as a pug. Unfortunately, that point is the last at which pugs are easy, and I may go into them in the future at this site.

Faint-spotted Palthis (8398)

Palthis asopialis

Family Erebidae, subfamily Herminiinae

Photograph copyright by Tony Leukering

22 June 2012

West Cape May

CMMP block X02

Distribution map

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.