Can you tell what type of organism this is?
[You can click on the image for a larger version.]
I'll show the entire organism below, so if you're not ready, don't scroll down quite yet.
Or, if you're ready for the answer, see below!
The first photo was an antenna of this moth, Neoterpes edwardsata. (Photographed on Bodega Head on 23 March 2019.) I haven't seen a common name for this species, but here's a fun proposal. "Neo" means "new" and as far as I can tell "terpes" might translate as "delight." The species name "edwardsata" is after Henry Edwards. So perhaps the moth could be known as Edwards' New Delight?
I hadn't known much about Henry Edwards before researching this moth. He was an English actor, writer, and entomologist with an interesting history. And there's a local connection, as he was one of the founding members of the Bohemian Club in the 1870s and active at the California Academy of Sciences. You can read more about him in this Wikipedia entry.
Another fun fact: The larval foodplant of Neoterpes edwardsata is California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica).
1 comment:
What a beautiful moth! Looks like it is wearing an evening theater cape. Very appropriate ;)
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