Isanthrene crabroniformis
Location:  Colima, Mexico
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 11:32 AM
i gave the website form another try and let it work for 5 minutes or so with no luck.
my message is:  Re Isanthrene moth sp.
hello there, here is what i’ve narrowed down to be an Isanthrene moth but would like to know the species.  according to zipcodezoo, there are 53 species similar to Isanthrene crabroniformis, one of which is Isanthrene colimae which i’m thinking it may be (because i live in colima) but cannot find images or descriptions for I. colimae.  what do you think? thank you, beverly
geographical location is colima, mexico elev 545m.
thank you, beverly

Wasp Moth

i’m really not going to be a pest daniel but here is another image view of isanthrene sp. showing all black legs (as opposed to black and red or only red).  i figure if zipcodezoo knows that I.colimae is similar to I.crabroniformis, there must be an image or description of I.colimae
somewhere.  i looked at maybe 10 different sites and did not find it.  by the way, i estimate the body length (not including the antennae) to be between 4 – 5 cm long.  regards, beverly
thank you daniel…i understand there are millions of bugs and only three of you so no need to be sorry and i appreciate you being there and doing what you are doing, beverly

Wasp Moth

Hi Beverly,
Thanks for your persistence in getting these images to us.  We haven’t the time to substantiate the identification at the moment.  It is final examination period and our schedules are filled, but we are posting and we hope to get Julian Donahue’s opinion on the species.  We have photos of Isanthrene crabroniformis in our archives.  The leg coloration might indicate a different species.

Thank you, Daniel, and good luck with finals.  I’ve looked at the Isanthrene crabroniformis images at your website and thought that my bug must be a similar but different species.  I am not as familiar with the habits of moths as I am with butterflies, for example, their migratory patterns and how far they are likely to stray from a range.  I not sure if I remember correctly the general reported range of I. crabroniformis but I think the images I’ve seen of it are in the areas of Costa Rica/Guatamala.  I would be most interested and appreciative of any information you might come up with as your time permits. In the meantime I will pursue possible information sources here in Mexico’s universities but that will have to wait until after the holidays (people take their holidays very seriously here

Hi again Beverly,
Seems you were right about the legs.  See Julian Donahue’s response.

Julian Donahue responds
Not I. crabroniformis (which has red legs), but most likely Isanthrene pyrocera Hampson, 1898, described from Mexico.
Another species. I. colimae, was described from (wait for it……) Colima; most likely it is figured in Seitz, Macrolepidoptera of the World, but I don’t have that at hand.
Julian

Funny Daniel…both of the images I sent to you are in Google images but described as I. crabroniformis and Julian D. says that it is not I.crabroniformis…the images were submitted by your website and I don’t mind at all, but shouldn’t they be identified as I. species or I. pyrocera or colimae?  I like that the images are out there for people to see (and maybe comment on) but we shouldn’t send images that are incorrectly identified should we?  can this be corrected?  Thank you, Beverly

Hi Beverly,
This recent email has us confused.  Please clarify what you mean that the images you sent are in Google images.  We were under the assumption that you took the photos.  When we received your original email, we titled the images as I. crabroniformis, which is incorrect unless Julian, an expert in Arctiids, is mistaken. 

Hi Daniel…well, if you google I.pyocera or I. colimae and opt for “images”  the images i sent to you will appear as having been sent by whatsthatbug.com and they will be labeled as l. crabroniformis as they are labeled on your website (as least the last time i looked).  i don’t know how all of this works, but google images must take the subject line of the emails i sent to you and match it with the photo.  this would explain why there are so many outrageous errors in the google images database.  i don’t know.  i tried to correct this at “google images”, but there was no option for corrections…only options relating to reporting “obscene material”.  i most certainly did take the photos and sent them to you via email and i guess google automatically does the rest if you are not aware of sending the images to google.  either way, it is not a copyright problem, as far as i am concerned you can use the images as you like.  what is a bit disturbing is that google must somehow take the images from your website, rather than your website initiating the use of your website content, which is resulting in erroneous information.  it is the erroneous information that bugs (sorry) me.
are the images still titled as I.crabroniformis on your website as they were earlier today?  i’ll take a look.
yes, that is my point exactly.  the images are not correctly identified per Julian’s information (either on your website or in google images) and i have confidence in the information he provided (i.e. I.pyrocera or I. colimae).  certainly, after looking at the prior images of I.crabroniformis posted to your site, i learned (prior to sending my images to your site) that my bug is not I. crabroniformis but one of the 53 related species as listed at the zipcodezoo website.  i do not in the least believe that Julian is mistaken.
i hope this is clear and if not, please let me know.  if not, simply google I.pyrocera (option, images) and take a look at what you find.  i had always assumed that people (or photo owners) submitted images for posting on google, but evidently that assumption is not correct and google simply helps itself and does a very bad job of it.
I will do my best to clarify whatever questions you have.  what is important to me is that the images be correctly identified (to the entire world) per that provided by Julian Donahue.  regards, Beverly

Thanks for the clarification Beverly.  The google images search is most likely because I retitled your images as Isanthrene crabroniformis when I posted them to What’s That Bug? originally.  To go back and rename them would require reposting, which we don’t believe warrants the effort since it changes nothing on our own site and would only change matters on the search engines which you have already indicated are often inaccurate.  

Karl provides a similar explanation
Hi Daniel:
When you do a Google Images search for Isanthrene crabroniformis Beverly’s photos pop up with your site and her original name given to the photo. If you click on it it does take you to WTB and her post with all the correct information. I believe she is just concerned that the image that appears in Google Images is still tagged with the wrong name. To correct this you would have to change the names on the posted photos. I hope this helps, but perhaps I have confused things more.  Karl

Thanks Daniel.  I’m okay with this.  I think if people are interested, they will click on the image and be directed to your site and the conversations.  Might be something to keep in mind for the future though.  Regards, Beverly

Mahale Mountains Moth
Location: Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania
November 10, 2011 9:00 am
Dear Daniel
I took this picture in February, in the morning, in Mahale Mountains National Park- Tanzania. I would love to know what genus (or species) this animal belongs to. This beautiful moth was rather slow moving.
kind regards
Teena
Signature: Teena

Unknown Moth from Tanzania

Dear Teena,
We are going to seek some assistance from Bill Oehlke for this identification.  Your moth reminds us of the Royal Walnut Moth or Regal Moth, Citheronia regalis, from North America (see BugGuide), however, to the best of our knowledge, that genus and subfamily are not found in Africa.

HI Daniel thanks very much for trying, I thought maybe it was from the family Ctenuchinae, but that was as far as I could get and then I wasn’t really sure.  If it is possible I would love to know.  Warm regards Teena
Teena Payne
The Infinite Horizon

How large was this moth Teena?

Hi Daniel, I reckon about 2cm-ie wing/head length.  Kind regards Teena

Bill Oehlke provides a correction
November 11, 2011
HI Daniel,
A pretty moth but I do not know what it is. It is not a Saturniidae.
Bill Oehlke

Hi again Teena,
We are going to check with Arctiid expert Julian Donahue next to verify if this is a Tiger Moth as you suspected.  Julian may be exploring some exotic land right now, so his response may be delayed.

Julian Donahue provides some taxonomy
November 14, 2011
Nice moth! Formerly placed in the mostly African family Thyretidae, but this group has recently been considered a part of the subfamily Syntominae of the Arctiidae (or the tribe Syntomini of the subfamily Arctiinae of the family Noctuidae, if you follow the recent extreme lumping of the tiger moths with the “millers”).
The moth appears to belong to the genus Balacra or the genus Metarctia, both of which have several species recorded from Tanzania. Some of those species are relatively recently described, and I do not have at hand any of the pertinent references to key out a specimen (if indeed I had a specimen in hand).
Sorry I couldn’t be any more specific.
Julian

Dear Daniel and Julian… many thanks for your efforts…I wish I had taken more pictures of this animal- especially since it was very compliant! In all the time I was in Mahale this was the only one I ever saw.  kind regards Teena

What kind of moth is this?? VERY PRETTY!
Location: Ramona, CA
October 21, 2011 4:10 pm
This moth got into my house a few nights ago(10/17/2011) in Ramona, CA. I came inside and found it on my lamp shade. Took a picture and let him go. Could you tell me what it is? I’ve been looking for something like it online and haven’t had any luck. It’s a very beautiful creature!
Thanks!
Signature: ~Mrs. D

Painted Tiger Moth

Dear Mrs. D,
Your moth is Arachnis picta, commonly called a Painted Tiger Moth.

Red butt bug….
Location: Mount Dora, Florida
August 30, 2011 7:10 am
Hey Bugman-Please solve this mystery for us. We finally captured this guy and got photos this weekend. We have several insect books for Florida, but have been unable to identify this gorgeous critter. He hangs out in my butterfly garden and seems to like the same plants as the butterflies do. He is not aggressive. We have been going crazy the past seven years trying to identify this insect. Please help…thanks.
Signature: Monique & Chuck

Polka-Dot Wasp Moth

Dear Monique & Chuck,
What took you so long to write to us?  We have been available on the internet at a different location since late 1998 and  at our current URL since 2002.  This is a Polka-Dot Wasp Moth, Syntomeida epilais, a species that is a very effective harmless mimic of a stinging insect.

Dear Daniel-
THANK YOU so much for your response and solving this mystery for us…and to think I don’t have oleanders in my garden because of my past experience with those “awful” defoliating caterpillars…they turn into this beautiful insect!! I have plenty of other plants to accomodate various species of butterfly larva and don’t seem to mind that they are summarily defoliated…I think it’s time for an oleander in my garden. I want more of these ‘artistically painted’ insects. You have made our day. We are so glad to have discovered your website and didn’t write earlier because we were unable to actually capture one of these…as we were afraid they were a stinging insect and I am highly allergic to stings of all kinds….and, yes, his “very effective mimic of a stinging insect” worked on us. (We did release him when his photo session was over.)
Thanks again…we will be making a donation to your site for you to be able to continue to do your work. Monique & Chuck