A few confusing moths (1 Viewer)

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Hunting birds with a canon

• Aug 1, 2020

• #1

A pair of moths here that I can't quite work out, I think because they are a slight bit different to the drawn versions I'm looking at. The first has a few potentials, but I think the more wavy lines are throwing me.

The second I think might be easier than it looks but I guess the photo display might be side on and I've only an above shot of the wings (side on it was raising them up). So making it trickier to perhaps see a pattern compared to side on.

Would welcome any thoughts on this pair .

 

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A

aeshna5

Well-known member

• Aug 1, 2020

• #2

Mother of Pearl & Spectacle.

 

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Hunting birds with a canon

• Aug 1, 2020

• #3

Thanks Aeshna - I always forget about the Mother of Pearl hiding at the start of the Waring and Townsend book. Whilst the Spectacle isn't one I'd have guessed at since in the book its colours are displayed as far more muted/browns rather than the more colourful reality of this particular moth.

 

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Hunting birds with a canon

• Aug 1, 2020

• #4

Hmm was just digging through my photos and found another mother of pearl that I saw a long while ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/24534478@N04/36028264603/in/dateposted-public/

I'm now confused because the two look nothing alike. Is this natural variation in the species or is one wrongly identified?

 

E

etudiant

Registered User

Supporter

• Aug 1, 2020

• #5

Overread said:

Hmm was just digging through my photos and found another mother of pearl that I saw a long while ago

https://www.flickr.com/photos/24534478@N04/36028264603/in/dateposted-public/

I'm now confused because the two look nothing alike. Is this natural variation in the species or is one wrongly identified?

Click to expand...

The wing patterns look similar,but the lighting is entirely different.
I'd think one would not be able to identify this species just based on that photo unless one were seriously expert.

 

Overread

Hunting birds with a canon

• Aug 1, 2020

• #6

Which photo do you mean - if you meant the second one that I linked too then it surprises me more because that one does align closer to the drawn example in the Waring and Townsend ID book.

The lighting differences are good to note, but they are not too vastly different, both are flash assisted lighting setups, the first was light from the sides, the latter light likely from a more above position. That said the lighting difference wouldn't change the wing views so drastically as can be seen between the two photos. A clear wing with purple hint won't easily become a far less see-through wing.