Mystery pelagic moth

Adam Cheeseman · #1 (**permalink**) 30-08-2007, 09:18 PM

Hi All,

Anyone know what this Noctuid is? I warn you it is not in Lewington and could be Spanish or Portugese (long story). It was potted up the night befor last, 80 miles south of Eire in the Atlantic Ocean on board a Whale watching pelagic cruise ship.
I guess it is slightly larger than a marbled beauty.
There is a picture of the underside that is quite interesting in the un-id Gallery.
Hope you can help.

Cheers,

Adam

http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/ga...lagicmoth1.JPG

John · #2 (**permalink**) 31-08-2007, 06:20 PM

Hi Adam

I think I have sorted it and would you believe I did it myself. I put it on Birdforum but whilst waiting for an answer I trawled through Leps.it and came up with Callopistria latreillei.

Take a look Adam and see what you think. One of the Birdforum experts has agreed with me so hopefully we have bottomed it out.

John

Adam Cheeseman · #3 (**permalink**) 31-08-2007, 07:21 PM

I doff my cap to you sir. I struggled to find it under the name you suggested. It appears to be more commonly referred to as Methorasa latreillei, and guess where it comes from...Portugal.
Actually it has quite a wide distribution but it's largely southern European in its range and the only place it occurs wherewe or the boat had been was Portugal, so it looks as though it boarded in Lisbon.
Incidentally, UKMoths have a request page for species photos and this is on their list so I think we should send our pics in. It is classed as an adventive species in this country, and has been recorded in Hampshire at least. Couldn't find an English name for it. Some of the guys were close when they mooted The Latin, which is a close relative. It does appear to be variable as a lot of Noctuids are as the one I found on the web was a much darker version but all the important features matched perfectly - no underside shots though.

Many thanks for the lift to the station and I hope you had a profitable time in Cornwall, did you get the Pec Sand at Marazion? Hope to see you again soon - probably at a WAB meet if not before.

Incidentally, have you read the official bird list for the pelagic? Some interesting species and numbers on there, so not everything was called as was suspected. Do you remember hearing Long-tailed Skua or Shrike sp. being called?

Cheers for now,

a still very wobbly Adam

sleepinabox · #4 (**permalink**) 31-08-2007, 08:11 PM

Sounds like you had a good time, guys.

Regards
Rose

Adam Cheeseman · #5 (**permalink**) 31-08-2007, 08:24 PM

John,

Just to let you know, I have informed Ultimate Pelagics that you have identified the moth and I sent my pics to them and I have sent them to Ian at UKMoths too.

Incidentally it is one of the species at the very back of Lewington, which says that it is on the Brit list by virtue of a 19th Century specimen. It is listed on the Hants Moth List site too

Cheers,

Adam

John · #6 (**permalink**) 31-08-2007, 08:26 PM

Hi Adam

Yes, I had to look twice when I spotted that moth on Leps.it was a much darker moth than the one we photographed, but Noctuidae being what they are I fully expected this one to be a variable moth and obviously it is.

I had a terrible time after leaving the boat. I went to the Lizard and was there about thirty minutes after I left you. It was like a mill pond with a slight northerly wind blowing (totally useless for any sea watching - allthough I did see a Bonxie) so I went for a walk. It was really warm and muggy so I just had a tee shirt and shorts on. I was 30 minutes into the walk (having seen virtually nothing) when the heavens opened up and I got soaked. I got back to the car and had to use some of my clothes to dry off.

I noticed that towards the west the sky was black but to the east looked a lot better so I decided to go to Prawle Point. I left at just about 11am had a nice drive until just short of Bodmin then came to a dead stand. They had close the A30 and were diverting everything down the A38 (which is where I wanted to go anyway). The trouble was that they were doing major works at Dobwalls (which I wasn't aware of) and the traffic stretched back from there to virtually the A30. I eventually arrived at Prawle Point at 17:25, some six and a half hours after leaving the Lizard, and then it took me until nearly 19:30 to find a Cirl Bunting. I eventually got home about 00:30 and totally knackered. Needless to say I didn't go to Marazion (allthough perhaps I should have done).

I have put all the photos (except the Reed Warbler one) on my web site.

I haven't had a chance to look at their website yet as i have been working on loads of things today but I had heard a whisper about the LTS but nothing about the Shrike sp but that doesn't surprise me, as there seemed to be a lot going through that we didn't hear about plus a lot we were seeing that didn't get put over the tannoy either.

I will e-mail Ian Kimber my two photos of the moth and you should send yours also. He may be interested in using them so it is worth sending them.

It was good to meet you and hopefully we will meet up again at one of the WAB bashes. keep an eye up at any of the southern meets and there is a chance I will be attending.

John

Adam Cheeseman · #7 (**permalink**) 31-08-2007, 08:31 PM

Small distribution map

Methorasa

Adam Cheeseman · #8 (**permalink**) 31-08-2007, 08:41 PM

I should point out for all you other WAB-ers that John and I also had a Porter's Rustic, a Red Data Book species that John found on the deck of the ship and I identified. We showed those Belgian moth experts who poo-pooed my ID without checking their books. They had to eat humble pie.

Check moth Gallery for image.

Adam

John · #9 (**permalink**) 31-08-2007, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam Cheeseman

I should point out for all you other WAB-ers that John and I also had a Porter's Rustic, a Red Data Book species that John found on the deck of the ship and I identified. We showed those Belgian moth experts who poo-pooed my ID without checking their books. They had to eat humble pie.

Check moth Gallery for image.

Adam

Don't forget to add that as soon as I saw what moth you were suggesting that I agreed straight away with it. It just shows us so called amateurs can show these experts a thing or two every now and again.

I must admit that I am impressed with myself (for a change) for working out the other moth as well.

John

caliprobola · #10 (**permalink**) 02-09-2007, 04:11 PM

well, there's was only one belgian person on board who knows something about moths and that's me. i never called myself an expert, i guess Dominique did but Dominique doesn't know anything bout moths so it is easy to be an expert in his eyes. i never said the Proxenus hospes wasn't one, other people came up with the idea of the moth being a probable Archanara dissoluta and without checking the book i said i could agree that it looked something like that. for your information, Proxenus hospes has only been seen once in Belgium, not by me, so forgive me for not knowing the species.
so please stay friendly... the internet is a small world... i came up to this thread by searching for more pictures of Callopistria latreillei. i also found the pic on Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa, trying to find an ID for the mystery pelagic moth...
to give full credits, it must be said that it was Nigel from Kent who first pounted out that the moth had something of the jizz of Callopistria juventina... that was when we were still at sea.
and to re-instate my expert status: on board i re-identified a Rivula sericealis as the crambid migratory species Udea ferrugalis

grtz and see you next year at UP

Pieter