[Leps-l] female Black Witch Moth - October 4, 1957 at Auke Bay, AK

[Peter Kevan]

Dear Mike & Leps-L:

The specimen from Churchill, Manitoba represents the most northerly collection from a latitudinal viewpoint, but also from the viewpoint of habitat.  The location, on the shore of Hudson Bay, is beyond the northern limit of trees in the area by a few kilometers.  If I remember correctly, it was Torbjorn Ekrem who actually collected the specimen.  There was some excitement and a suggestion that some wag amongst us had seeded the specimen as a joke.  Not so!! 

I suppose one could look at the weather patterns over the previous days/week or so to see how the specimen might have made its way to Churchill.  

The date of collection is several years ago and can be found on the website for the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, where the specimen is vouchered.

Cheers,

Peter  

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Quinn" <entomike at gmail.com>
To: "Leps-L" <leps-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Sent: Friday, December 28, 2012 7:18:37 PM
Subject: female Black Witch Moth - October 4, 1957 at Auke Bay, AK

For nearly 50 yrs, this spmn held the reigning record for
northern-most BWM until a recent record from nr. Churchill, Manitoba,
Canada...

Black Witch Moth - BWM - Ascalapha odorata
http://bugguide.net/node/view/733768

A female Black Witch Moth found October 4, 1957 at Auke Bay, 12 mi N
of Juneau, AK

Spangler, P.J. 1957. A record of the black witch, Erebus odora
(Noctuidae), in Alaska. The Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society
11(6): 205.
http://peabody.research.yale.edu//jls/pdfs/1950s/1957/1957-11(6)205-Spangler.pdf

Photo by: Steve Henrikson, Curator of Collections, Alaska State
Museum. Steve reports that the museum is in the process of remounting
the spmn.

Mike Quinn, Austin
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