365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Monday, July 18, 2016
Ctenucha Rubroscapus/Multifaria Complex
Day 279: A few days ago, I was out in the swamp with our Park Plant Ecologist searching for examples of a rare plant in the chest-high "grass," and was pulled up short by this handsome insect hiding deep in the vegetation. "Who you?" I said, and then, "Arnie? You know anything about bugs?" A negative from my companion didn't deter me from taking photos, and when I got home, I submitted one to BugGuide.net, trusting to their entomologists to provide me with an answer. In due time, it was identified as a Ctenucha ("ten-OO-cha"), with the reservation that it is one of several species in the rubroscapus/multifaria complex. The generic common name for these critters is Red-Shouldered Ctenucha, a type of Tiger Moth found only on the West Coast.
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