Urania Moth Info (was Re: identification)

[Mike Quinn]

Nice photo! Here's some distribution info on your bug. 

BTW, some 20 Urania moths were seen in South Texas last month:
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabast/Urania.html

Mike Quinn, Austin
_________________     
Texas Entomology    
www.TexasEnto.net

==========================================================

"Current classification (Smith, 1983) considers that there are four
species of Urania: 

U. fulgens (Veracruz, Mexico, throughout Central America to northern
Ecuador west of the Andes); 
U. boisduvalii (Cuba); 
U. sloanus (Jamaica, and rare); and finally 
U. leilus (South America east of the Andes). 

The morphological differences are slight, and they might be best treated
as races of one biological species."

Smith, Neal G. 1983. Urania fulgens (Colipato Verde, Green Urania) in:
Janzen, D.H. (editor) Costa Rican Natural History, University of Chicago
Press, Chicago, 816 pp.

(Smith, N. (pers. com.) Urania sp. on Jamaica now considered extinct.)

===========================================================

"U. leilus occurs in South America, and its migrations are recorded in
Trinidad, the Guianas, and Venezuela."

Charles Hogue. 1993. Latin American Insects and Entomology. University
of California Press, Berkeley. pg. 309.

===========================================================

Urania sloanus 
http://data.acnatsci.org/peale/stories/Urania_sloanus.html
http://www.mbarnes.force9.co.uk/jamaicamoths/images2/uraslo.htm

Other Uraniids
http://butterflywebsite.com/gallery/motgal2.htm

Thought there might be info here, but Uraniidae not treated...

Catalogue of the Lepidoptera of the French Antilles
www.inra.fr/Internet/Produits/PAPILLON/indexeng.htm 

Urania records in US; Bibliography
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabast/Urania.html

Southbound in September
Flight of the Urania moth, search for Omphalea
By William G. Shultz, Smithsonian News Service
United States Southern Command "Tropic Times" September 22, 1995
http://www.pancanalsociety.org/Articles/Urania.html

============================================================
Subject: Re: identification
From: "OscartheGrouch" <Tondaleo AT hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 21:09:56 -0700

"ti.racoon"  wrote in message 
news:4317a3a2$0$1711$8fcfb975 AT news.wanadoo.fr...
> Hi,
>
> We have found a "new" butterfly in the french west indies
(guadeloupe). We
> are not able to find its name as it is not presented in the book we
have 
> for Guadeloupe.
> Folowing this link you will find a picture of this butterfly.
>
> http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/4499/papillonx8an.jpg
>
> Anyone knows what it is?
>
> Thanks,
> Regards,
> Ti.racoon

Subject: re: identification
From: "Floyd Lucas" <floyd_lucas AT hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 02 Sep 2005 07:27:55 -0400

Hi all,

Some time around 1994, we had an explosion of these moths in Trinidad
(West 
Indies, just off Paria Peninsula, Venezuela). They had apparently arived

from Venezuela and immediately caught the imagination of the public
because 
of their colour and numbers. I think most people agree that they were
not 
present or in significant numbers before this event. They are now well 
established in Trinidad. This 'stray' seems interesting. Does anyone
know of 
their occurence in the wider Caribbean?

Floyd Lucas



 
 ------------------------------------------------------------ 

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl