Rustic or Uncertain? (1 Viewer)

J

Jamie D

Well-known member

• Jun 26, 2004

• #1

Hi,

I am trying to get my head round sorting out the Rustic and Uncertain. I have made tentative id's of the 5 moths below based on the features listed in atropos 4 but I am not very confident. Comments etc appreciated

1) (3387) - Uncertain? - overall yellow brown. Good cross lines. Ret Stig darker and well defined

2) (3621) - ????

Coldish brown colour -> Rustic
Reasonable crosslines -> Uncertain
Stig dark & well defined -> Uncertain

3) (3748) - ???

Warm yellowy colour - Uncertain
cross lines intermediate - ????
Stig poorly defined - Rustic

4) (3905) - Rustic

cold background colour -> rustic
minimal cross lines -> rustic
stig poorly defined & blend in -> rustic

5) (6109) - ????
Warm back colour - > uncertain
minimal cross lines -> rustic
poor stigmata -> rustic


Regards,
Jamie

 

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MikeWall

HantsMoth-er

• Jun 26, 2004

• #2

J Duffie said:

Hi,

I am trying to get my head round sorting out the Rustic and Uncertain. I have made tentative id's of the 5 moths below based on the features listed in atropos 4 but I am not very confident. Comments etc appreciated

Click to expand...

FWIW, I'd say:

1) (3387) - Uncertain
2) (3621) - Rustic
3) (3748) - Rustic
4) (3905) - Rustic
5) (6109) - Rustic

...but you really need to have a look at the hindwings as another pointer and I hate this species pair even when I've got them in the hand, so wouldn't be surprised if someone else took a different view!

 

Brian Stone

A Stone chatting

• Jun 26, 2004

• #3

Check out the hindwings and compare with Plate 40 in Skinner (p.332 in Waring et al). According to the lit The Uncertain has a noticably more fuscous hindwing. All mine have checked out as The Uncertain so far after an early flush of Vine's Rustics.

 

Surreybirder

Ken Noble

• Jun 27, 2004

• #4

You could try posting them on the Atropos website!

 

J

Jamie D

Well-known member

• Jun 27, 2004

• #5

Hi,

thanks for all the help so far. Last night I got another and this time I have photographed the hind wing. As it is uniformly brownish would you agree that this is Uncertain?

Thanks,
Jamie

 

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MikeWall

HantsMoth-er

• Jun 27, 2004

• #6

J Duffie said:

Hi,

thanks for all the help so far. Last night I got another and this time I have photographed the hind wing. As it is uniformly brownish would you agree that this is Uncertain?

Thanks,
Jamie

Click to expand...

Hi Jamie,

I think everything points to that being definitely Uncertain!

 

Surreybirder

Ken Noble

• Jun 27, 2004

• #7

What tecnique do you use for looking at the hind-wing of a live moth, Jamie? Mine seem to be most uncooperative!

 

J

Jamie D

Well-known member

• Jun 27, 2004

• #8

Hi,

thanks for confirmation. To make the moths cooperate I put them to sleep with Ethyl Acetate. When they are in a tube I dab a cotton bud in the Ethyl Acetate and then stick the end in the tube for about 10 seconds making sure the moth does not touch it. I then remove it and reseal the tube until the moth stops wriggling it legs etc. I then leave it for about 30 seconds. This knocks them out for a couple of minutes so you can examine them (or photograph them without them flying off). When you have looked at them I then blow in the tube to remove the chemicals and they then take about 10 minutes to recover.

Hope that helps,
Jamie

 

Surreybirder

Ken Noble

• Jun 27, 2004

• #9

Thanks. I'm not sure I want to be that interventionist at this stage, but glad to know how it's done!