[Leps-l] FW: luminescent moth - "contrails" ??

[Jim Mason]

If these are not merely optic phenomena resulting from reflection/refraction
of the light off the wing scales, it may be interesting to test various
species to see if their wings have any ability to store and then emit light
energy.  This then begs the question whether or not this capability has any
adaptive value to the species or is just an accident of the materials the
wings are built of.

 

Jim Mason, Naturalist

 <mailto:Jim at gpnc.org> Jim at gpnc.org

Great Plains Nature Center

6232 E. 29th Street North

Wichita, KS 67220-2200

316-683-5499 x103 - voice

316-688-9555 - fax

 <http://www.gpnc.org> www.gpnc.org

 

From: Mike Quinn [mailto:entomike at gmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 3:36 PM
To: BPatter789 at aol.com
Cc: jim at gpnc.org; leps-l at mailman.yale.edu; humble1 at dtccom.net;
cabana.shane at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [Leps-l] FW: luminescent moth - "contrails" ??

 

Photo of moths at mercury vapor showing "contrails" ???

 

http://bit.ly/M7KgD0


Mike Quinn, Austin
________________
Texas Entomology
http://texasento.net





On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 3:08 PM, <BPatter789 at aol.com> wrote:

Dear Jim,

 

I do not know if this will post to the list serve.  If it does not, please
feel free to re-post it there.

 

In July of 2010 (about the 9th) my wife and I spent a couple of nights at
Manchester, Tennessee.  I think we stayed at the Sleep Inn at 84 Relco
Drive.  The rear of that hotel faces a Quality Inn at 2314 Hillsboro Blvd.
At the edge of the Quality Inn parking lot is a pole rising about 20-30 feet
at the top of which is a 3-sided enclosure holding 1-2 extremely large
lamps, probably mercury vapor but possibly another type.  The light from
this structure illuminates the large parking lot and the side of the Quality
Inn.

 

We observed many dozens of moths flying back and forth through what I
presume to have been an electrically charged or ionized atmosphere that
might have extended 5-10 meters in front of and to the sides of the lamp(s).
The flight path of each moth looked like a streak of bright light (nearly
white or off-white) and, with so many moths being present, gave the
impression of a burst of fireworks. These "contrails" were, I presume, the
result of the collision of "charged particles" brought about by moth flight
roiling the atmosphere.

 

I don't believe that any moths flew into the lamp enclosure or nearer than
2-3 feet of it.  I examined the parking lot near the pole and found no
evidence of killed moths.  There was no bat activity that we observed.  I
did not think to take photographs.

 

Bob Patterson
12601 Buckingham Drive
Bowie, Maryland 20715
(301) - 262-2459 <tel:%28301%29%20-%20262-2459>  pm. hours
Moth Photographers Group Website
<http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Plates.shtml> 
My Personal Moths Website
<http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/Files1/Live/BP/BPsite/identified.
shtml> 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu
[mailto:leps-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Shane Adams
Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2012 1:37 AM
To: leps-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Leps-l] luminescent moth

On june 13 2012 ~ 2Am  about an hour north of Hinton Alberta, I seen what
appeared to be luminescent moths.
They would fly into a high watt halogen light then come out glowing like hot
embers. Even when they went behind the light tower they glowed.  About the
size of a 25 cent coin. This would last about five seconds then it would
fade, and they would fly back to the light and come out glowing again. There
where moths on the side of the building that where flat white ish with
triangular wigs but I don't know if these where the same ones that where
glowing. Is there such a things a luminescent moth? What did I see?



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/leps-l/attachments/20120717/05bf0dbd/attachment-0001.html