Migrant Moths...Mexico...ID?

[Robert Russell]

James:

Thanks for the info on U. fulgens.  I wasn't aware of this species (I'm 
not a lep specialist), but the species name sounds vaguely familiar.  
Isn't fulgens the species whose caterpillar received some media 
attention for producing a compound that has shown promising anti-AIDS 
properties?

I'm confused now about the moths we've seen migrating over the northern 
Gulf of Mexico.  One reference I was able to consult indicated that the 
West Indies is within the range of U. leilus, and as I mentioned, our 
Urania sp. showed up during an episode of cross-taxomonic vagrancy from 
the West Indies.  Also, I compared a specimen we collected to a photo 
purported to be of leilus and found them to be identical.  Is 
leilus-fulgens one of those pairs whose genitalia need to be dissected 
for identification, or something esoteric like that?  Is there a way to 
distinguish them visually?  Unless these two are effectively identical, 
the ones we've had over the Gulf have been leilus.

You mentioned some previous records of vagrant fulgens in the U.S. -- 
any references concerning this?

Thanks,

Bob Russell                            migrants at hotmail.com
LSU Museum of Natural Science          http://transgulf.org

Current address:
South Pelto 10
northern Gulf of Mexico


----Original Message Follows----
From: "DR. JAMES ADAMS" <jadams at carpet.dalton.peachnet.edu>
To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 10:21:47 EST5EDT
Subject: Re: Migrant Moths...Mexico...ID?
Reply-To: jadams at carpet.dalton.peachnet.edu

Dear Bobs et al,

           Bob Russell was close.  The species is actually Urania 
fulgens, a very close relative of U. leilus, but north of the South 
American U. leilus.  Urania fulgens is found throughout 
Central America and Mexico.  (It's even been taken in the southern 
U.S. a couple of times.)  These moths move in mass periodically, and 
it sounds like this was one of those times.  The numbers mentioned do 
seem particularly impressive.

                   James



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