Fatal Metalmark

[Paul Breslin]

I have tried to hold off, really I have ...
I think the name is just fanciful.
Look at the names of the underwing moths:

The Betrothed Moth
Penitent Underwing Moth
Consort Underwing Moth
Serene Underwing Moth
Mourning Underwing Moth
Dejected Underwing Moth
Inconsolable Underwing Moth
Widow Underwing Moth
Sad Underwing Moth
Tearful Underwing Moth
Lincoln Underwing Moth
Texarkana Underwing Moth
Married Underwing Moth
Luciana Underwing Moth

One could almost make a little story of their names ...

There once was a moth named Luciana that was Betrothed to a moth named 
Lincoln.  Luciana and was Penitent over thoughts of being Lincoln's Consort 
but they Married and she found he was a fine fellow and she became Serene. 
But, he ran around on her and she felt Dejected and became Sad and 
Inconsolable.  When she became a Widow she was Tearful ...

Right !

Paul



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <drdn at mail.utexas.edu>
To: <fred.heath at earthlink.net>
Cc: "'Leps-l'" <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>; <SoWestLep at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 5:46 PM
Subject: Re: Fatal Metalmark


> Holland called this species "Dusky Metal-mark" in 1914 and 1931. Klots 
> called it
> "Fatal Metalmark" in 1951.
>   Nemesis is the (Old Greek) goddess of justice and equity who punished 
> pride
> and arrogance. Seems we need her today more than we have for quite a 
> while.
> .............Chris Durden
>
> Quoting Fred Heath <fred.heath at earthlink.net>:
>
>> The other day at a presentation on California butterflies someone asked 
>> why
>> the Fatal Metalmark (Celephelis nemesis) is named "fatal". Since I had no
>> idea, I hypothesized out loud that the original collector of this species
>> was having trouble catching it and so it became his "nemesis". Finally 
>> one
>> day he was so excited to see it nectaring on a nearby flower, he leaned 
>> over
>> and swung his net catching the type specimen of the butterfly, but not
>> realizing the flower was on the edge of cliff, plunged to his death. So 
>> his
>> nemesis was fatal to him! Although this got a big laugh, I also became
>> curious (and yes I know curiosity killed the cat) as to where the name 
>> came
>> from? Anybody out there know?
>> --Best regards, Fred
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>    For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:
>>
>>    http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------ 
>
>   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:
>
>   http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl
>
>
> 



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

   For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:

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