do Leps walk?

[K. W. Philip]

	This thread reminds me of what I observed in Barrow,
Alaska in 1971. A scientist there had put out sticky-board
traps lying flat in the tundra, and I noticed that the _edges_
of these traps were lined with Barrovia fasciata individuals
(a noctuid moth). I did not see a single B fasciata in the
interior of any of these boards--only along the edges.

	The only conclusion is that this species was _walking_
around in the tundra, rather than flying--and was trapped as
soon as it encountered the edge of a sticky-board trap.

	The weather at that time was cool and cloudy. I have
remembered ever since that Barrow is such an extreme
habitat that moths (at least, some of them) walk rather than
fly...

	By the way, I was able to use ethyl acetate to free a
number of these moths from the traps, and ended up with a
nice series of relatively fresh specimens.

		Ken Philip


 
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