Copper underwing identification
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bobhelencoan
- Posts: 657
- Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 6:25 pm
- Location: Waverton, Chester
Copper underwing identification
Found a decease moth in the garage. Is it possible to identify it as Copper or Svensson's copper underwing from the photos of its wings, top, underside and hind wing? Bob & Helen
- Attachments
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- underside of wing
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- Top and hind wing
Re: Copper underwing identification
What an interesting test case!
If I had seen only the underside of the hind-wing (top photo), I would have said Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea), because the copper colour does not extend up above the line of the broad, black crescent.
Yet - look at all that copper on the hindwing! The illustration of the upper-side of the hind-wing in Waring and Townsend, though, shows an entirely copper colouration, so maybe that is not a useful discriminating feature.
The diagram below shows what we are supposed to be looking for. However, Waring and Townsend do point out that "intermediates occur, making interpretation difficult".
If I had seen only the underside of the hind-wing (top photo), I would have said Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidea), because the copper colour does not extend up above the line of the broad, black crescent.
Yet - look at all that copper on the hindwing! The illustration of the upper-side of the hind-wing in Waring and Townsend, though, shows an entirely copper colouration, so maybe that is not a useful discriminating feature.
The diagram below shows what we are supposed to be looking for. However, Waring and Townsend do point out that "intermediates occur, making interpretation difficult".
- Distinguishing Copper Underwing and Svensson's Copper Underwing
- Copper and Svenssons Underwing.png (51.77 KiB) Viewed 2244 times