moths

JH jhimmel at connix.com
Fri Jun 15 23:13:21 EDT 2001


>And while hind wings are often useful or necessary in
>making identifications, I'd like to add that the coming together of the
>forewings often creates a distinctive pattern that, unfortunately, is lost
>with the folded out specimens shown in books.

Steve - I agree - but to deal with this problem, I will sometimes put the moth in a clear container (cassette case, CD case - a Clay Taylor inovation) and hold the moth on top of the pictures, tilting the container so the moth's right forewing is beneath and parallel to the pictured moth's right forewing.  (or left wing, if the right one in the picture is cut off)  Then there they are, side by side, with the patterns running in the same direction (assuming you have the right photo).  Works pretty well, and is really only necessary when it is a confusing pattern, or one shared by many in a family.

And if you haven't seen Steve's moth photos on the website he mentioned, they are excellent!

John

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John Himmelman
Killingworth, CT USA
jhimmel at connix.com
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Visit my websites at:
http://booksandnature.homestead.com/booksandnature.html
www.ctamphibians.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Walter <SWalter at nyc.rr.com>
To: CT-Leps <CTLEPS-L at lists.yale.edu>
Date: Friday, June 15, 2001 10:16 PM
Subject: Re: moths


>Before the two new books came out last year, the "web" became a better
>alternative for help with dragonfly identifications. Probably still is,
>because many of the photo sites contain large, clear images that allow you
>to see details much more easily. Can moths get to that point on the
>internet? My web site "The Mulberry Wing" (www.hmana.org/mulberry) contains
>a special feature: the Moths of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge - now with 100
>species pictured in their natural positions. I also have a link to great
>British site. Of course, most of the species are different. But the
>families, subfamilies, and often genera are the same and can give you a feel
>for how their species look in their natural positions. Beyond that, it's
>been a struggle to find really useful web sites and I continue to struggle
>with my identifications. Repeatedly, I come across moths that seem so
>distinctive in the field, yet so difficult to match up against the plates in
>Covell and the rest. And while hind wings are often useful or necessary in
>making identifications, I'd like to add that the coming together of the
>forewings often creates a distinctive pattern that, unfortunately, is lost
>with the folded out specimens shown in books.
>
>Steve Walter
>
>
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