Can you identify this critter ? (halfly OT, found it near the pond)

[Theo van Daele]

I wanted to pick up this little twig the other day, but it moved... it
turned out to be a butterfly/moth.

Never seen something like this before, and I'm not sure it's native.
Perhaps it escaped from a house somewhere ?

Nature at it's best eh :-)

(250 Kb download, but worth it I think ! )

http://www.wide-o.net/summerpond2003/critter.jpg

[Axolotl]

"Theo van Daele" > wrote in news:P7bTa.26431$F92.3146
@afrodite.telenet-ops.be:

A quick look at the site below makes me think it might be a Schinia Snowi,
member of the order Noctuidae, but I could well be wrong.

Take a look at
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/moths/mothsusa.htm
its probably the best place to try and identify you critter.

Good luck
ANO

[Bonnie Espenshade]

Theo van Daele wrote:
> I wanted to pick up this little twig the other day, but it moved... it
> turned out to be a butterfly/moth.
>
> Never seen something like this before, and I'm not sure it's native.
> Perhaps it escaped from a house somewhere ?
>
> Nature at it's best eh :-)
>
> (250 Kb download, but worth it I think ! )
>
> http://www.wide-o.net/summerpond2003/critter.jpg
>
>
>

Great photo!

--
Bonnie
NJ
http://home.earthlink.net/~maebe43/

[zookeeper]

Theo van Daele wrote:
> Thanks ANO !
>
> Your link put me on to another website, I bluntly mailed the owner, and he
> came up with the right name straight away, even though he/she is only
> specialized into Canadian moths...
>
> http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/insecta/lepidoptera/ditrysia/noctuoidea
> /notodontidae/phalerinae/phalera/
>
> Phalera bucephala it is...
>
> And yes, that's a member of the Noctuoidea/Notodontidae ! :-)

Here's another picture of the moth at the UK site; the color is a little
closer to your picture.

http://cgi.ukmoths.force9.co.uk/show.php?sid=19940

This is such an amazingly camouflaged insect!! Gotta love the Internet
and all its contributors!
--
Kathy B

[jammer]

Wow, talk about camouflage!





On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 13:38:55 GMT, "Theo van Daele"
> wrote:

>I wanted to pick up this little twig the other day, but it moved... it
>turned out to be a butterfly/moth.
>
>Never seen something like this before, and I'm not sure it's native.
>Perhaps it escaped from a house somewhere ?
>
>Nature at it's best eh :-)
>
>(250 Kb download, but worth it I think ! )
>
>http://www.wide-o.net/summerpond2003/critter.jpg
>
>

[Theo van Daele]

Thanks Kathy, that's the one indeed.

> Here's another picture of the moth at the UK site; the color is a little
> closer to your picture.
>
> http://cgi.ukmoths.force9.co.uk/show.php?sid=19940
>
> This is such an amazingly camouflaged insect!! Gotta love the Internet
> and all its contributors!

It can indeed be a great resource :-) A friend of mine just mailed me
about the name ...

"Bucephalus was the favourite warhorse of Alexander the Great, the one he
made a senator......"

Now I'm gonna forget about moths as soon as possible, I don't want another
hobby, I really *don't* want another hobby, I really... oh bugger ;-)

Theo

[zookeeper]

Theo van Daele wrote:
>
> It can indeed be a great resource :-) A friend of mine just mailed me
> about the name ...
>
> "Bucephalus was the favourite warhorse of Alexander the Great, the one he
> made a senator......"
>
> Now I'm gonna forget about moths as soon as possible, I don't want another
> hobby, I really *don't* want another hobby, I really... oh bugger ;-)

What a great bit of info to share about Bucephalus! I wondered why that
name seemed familiar (shades of Western Civilization class, freshman
college).

As far as another hobby goes, I seem to find them almost daily during
surfing expeditions for more information on any of my current interests.
To me the Internet is like a large library, but with a much more
personal touch. Although it does require much more skepticism than a
library, but often has better up to date information to make up for it.
--
Kathy B

[zookeeper]

Theo van Daele wrote:
>
> It can indeed be a great resource :-) A friend of mine just mailed me
> about the name ...
>
> "Bucephalus was the favourite warhorse of Alexander the Great, the one he
> made a senator......"
>
> Now I'm gonna forget about moths as soon as possible, I don't want another
> hobby, I really *don't* want another hobby, I really... oh bugger ;-)

What a great bit of info to share about Bucephalus! I wondered why that
name seemed familiar (shades of Western Civilization class, freshman
college).

As far as another hobby goes, I seem to find them almost daily during
surfing expeditions for more information on any of my current interests.
To me the Internet is like a large library, but with a much more
personal touch. Although it does require much more skepticism than a
library, but often has better up to date information to make up for it.
--
Kathy B