Photo author: Helen Lin
Photo editor: Hill
The Large Silkworm Moth, a rare large silkworm moth, usually comes out at night to move
The ancients said: "Butterflies are beautiful in whiskers, and moths are beautiful in eyebrows." This means that the butterfly's head has a pair of long tentacles like a beard to make it more beautiful. Imagine if the butterfly's tentacles were removed, its beauty would be greatly reduced. Similarly, the beauty of the moth is inseparable from its fine tentacles like eyebrows, without the feathery or filamentous antennae of the head, the moth will be no different from the insects with inconspicuous antennae such as flies, zhiyi, and dragonflies.
The jade band moth, a venomous moth, has a red head that is a warning color
The jade band moth, a venomous moth with a red head is a warning color, and the larvae feed on the leaves of white sandalwood
In the first half of this year, the focus of my field investigation was on Longguan Township in Haishu District. Rare plants such as the solitary orchid, rhododendron orchid and bitter lettuce moss were discovered, and ecological photographs of many butterflies were taken. In fact, during the field trip, I will encounter many cute moths every day, and moths and other insects are also the focus of my investigation and observation.
Dahlia lamp moth, a giant in the lamp moth family
Longguan Township is creating "the first biodiversity-friendly township in China". Biodiversity refers to the richness of biological species in an area, including animals, plants and fungi, of which the diversity of insects is an important part of it.
Dragonfly ruler moth, wings and abdomen are very slender, much like dragonflies
Dragonfly ruler moth, wings and abdomen are very slender, much like dragonflies
Small dragonfly ruler moth, the female has a stubby abdomen
The small dragonfly ruler moth is somewhat similar to the dragonfly ruler moth
All living things in nature are interdependent and interrelated, and moths are an indispensable link in the entire ecosystem food chain, and their larvae nibble on plants and are then preyed upon by other animals.
Lepidoptera ranks second in the order Insects, the number of species is second only to Coleoptera, moths are not only diverse, but also complex and diverse life taxa, they have a high reproductive rate, and their ecological significance is very important. The number of moth species in an area can be used as a major insect ecological indicator in the region. Therefore, the attention to moths is very necessary.
Rarely, the green ruler moth has a large area of bright green on the wing surface
Moths and butterflies are close relatives, and they belong to the same order of lepidoptera, with scales on their wings. The main difference is that the tentacles of the moth are not club-like like like butterflies, but are filamentous or feathery, and the moth's wings are droopy when resting, and the overall roof ridge is ridge-like, unlike the butterfly's wings, which are attached to the back and look very spiritual.
Other points of difference are that moths are generally smaller in wings and thicker in body, so their ability to fly is usually inferior to that of butterflies. The wings of moths are mostly gray-brown, and there is no bright color of butterflies. The moth has various connectors between the front and back wings, and the forewings can drive the hindwings to improve flight efficiency when flying. Butterflies do not have this connection device, the butterfly wing area is large, the body is lean, the flight ability is super strong, the hindwing does not need to participate in the fan wing work, and the hindwing is responsible for the balance of the body or plays the role of the rudder.
The long-winged ruler moth, a very common moth, prefers to be active in the forest and prefers to be active during the day
The larvae of the long-winged ruler moth, the larvae of the family Ulmusidae have the most personality, also known as "bridge-building insects"
Persimmon star ruler moth, the larva feeds on the leaves of wild persimmons
Venus ruler moth, one of the most common moths, is an important garden pest
A kind of ruler moth, which falls on dead leaves and has a strong stealth ability
Nocturnal moth
In terms of life habits, moths mostly spit silk as cocoons or burrow into the soil when pupating, while butterflies generally do not make cocoons, only forming naked pupae (hanging pupae or mullet). Moths are mostly active at night or in dimly lit environments, while butterflies are mostly active during the day. The grayish color of the moth's wings is closely related to the time and environment of its activity, and the bright shape of the butterfly is also suitable for its daytime activity environment.
Of course, the above is just a general rule about butterflies and moths. In nature, there are many situations that contradict this generality, such as some moths with bright colors, most of which are active during the day, more beautiful than ordinary butterflies. Many butterflies of the family Ophthalmiidae prefer to move in shady forests, and their wings are gray-brown; Butterflies in the family Butterfly have thick wings and are not bright in color, and they also cocoon pupate, which is very similar to the characteristics of moths.
The nocturnal moth, which comes out during the day in the middle of summer, has a particularly recognizable pattern
The nocturnal moth, mimicking the appearance of dead leaves
A deer moth with feathery antennae
Deer moth, another species, prefers to collect nectar from cat's milk and is active during the day
Since most of the moths come out at night, and some species are small, it is difficult to investigate the moths very deeply. As an amateur moth enthusiast, I cannot conduct a scanned comprehensive investigation and report on the moth species in Longguan Township, and can only throw bricks and jade to everyone in the form of dragonflies and water.
The red-headed anchovy is a large moth that looks somewhat similar to the red-beaded butterfly, but its antennae betray the true identity of its moth
The ventral surface of the red-headed cockroach moth
The red-headed anchovy moth is viewed from the side, and it can be seen that the head and body are red, much like the butterfly, which is active during the day and has strong flight ability
The red-headed anchovy is a large moth of the family Anchovy, its flight ability is very strong, the head and body are red, the whole is very similar to the butterfly, the shape and size are somewhat similar to the red pearl butterfly, but its bulging antennae at the top betray the true identity of its moth. The red-headed anchovy moth, which I first spotted in the mountains of Longguan Township, is a rare and rare moth.
The shallow-winged anchovy is on the front, much like a scaled-down version of the butterfly, but its antennae are not swollen at the ends, which is an important sign of the moth
The ventral surface of the shallow-winged phoenix moth resembles a miniature version of the butterfly, and the gray-white stripes with black veins are very elegant
In high temperatures, the shallow-winged moth prefers to cool off on the shady rock walls, and the small swamp orchids on the rock walls begin to dry up
The shallow-winged anchovy is also a moth of the family Anchovy, it is very similar to a miniature version of the butterfly, the gray-white stripes with black veins are very elegant, and there is a row of red spots in the hip corner area of the hindwings that play a wonderful role in the finishing touch. The antennae of the shallow-winged phoenix moth are also not expanded, which is an important sign of the moth. The heat was over 40 degrees that day, and I saw that the shallow-winged anchovy likes to cool off on the wet rock walls, which is a very intelligent moth, and they are more common than the red-headed anchovy.
On the front, the tiger moth is a gorgeous moth whose larvae feed on the leaves of the crow's berries
The belly of the tiger moth is a gorgeous moth whose larvae feed on the leaves of the crowberry
The tiger moth is a medium-sized moth of the tiger moth family, which is a very gorgeous moth, more beautiful than the average butterfly, loves to be active during the day, flies fast, and is a highly vigilant moth, not easy to get close to shooting. Their larvae feed on the leaves of the crowberry, and in recent years it seems that there are more than ever.
Privet ruler moth, the wing pattern is plain and elegant, the larvae feed on the leaves of small wax
The Privet moth, just feathered, the larvae feed on the leaves of the small wax
The Privet Moth is a small and medium-sized moth of the family Ulmus, with a plain and elegant wing pattern. That day, I was inspecting the Copper Pit Canyon in Longguan Township and saw several parasitic wasps circling around the small wax tree. It turned out that they had aimed at the large larvae of the Privet ruler moth on the small wax tree, and there happened to be a feathering Privet ruler moth on the tree, and it turned out that this common nar moth larvae was the leaf that fed on the small wax, and another mystery was solved by me.
The front of the black-veined thick-bearded borer, a very rare and colorful moth, often lives deep in the forest
The ventral surface of the black-veined thick-bearded borer
The black-veined thick-bearded borer is a small and medium-sized moth of the family Moth family, which is a very rare and colorful borer moth that often lives deep in the forest. Only in the high temperature season can I occasionally encounter one in the forest every year, and they are also quite vigilant moths, and for me, such specimens are very precious.
Taiwanese jade arm black ruler moth, the wing surface has a clear rotational arc, dynamic line pattern is dazzling
The ventral surface of the Taiwanese jade-armed black ruler moth has a prominent white band on the forewings
The Taiwan jade-armed black ruler moth is also a medium-sized moth of the family Ulmus. Its wings have a distinctly swirling arc, and the dynamic line pattern is dazzling, which can effectively confuse predators.
It is a peculiar bee moth that resembles a wasp, but it is a moth with scales on its wings
There are many strange species of moths, such as the peculiar bee moth, which resembles a wasp, but it is indeed a moth because of the scales on its wings.
The longhorn moth, whose antennae are more than 3 times the length of its body, flies in a very strange posture, much like an ephemera flying in the air
The individual moths of the longhorn moth family are very small, but their antennae are more than 3 times the length of the body, and the antennae are particularly tough, unlike the antennae of ordinary moths, which are broken when they are touched, and the posture of the longhorn moth when flying is very strange, much like ephemerals flying in the air, like flying kites.
A strange moth that has never been encountered before, brightly colored and behaves strangely
A strange moth never seen before, brightly colored, small in individuals, prone to shedding tentacles
Near the top of the view, I found a strange little moth that I had never seen before, brightly colored and behaving strangely, crawling back and forth on the branches of the tree, as if looking for something. After entering the insect net, it was found that its antennae and legs fell off quickly, and the antennae were well-developed feathery, and the species could not be determined.
Stone moths, much like moths, are larvae of trichophylloptera that live in water
Stone moths, much like moths, are larvae of trichophylloptera that live in water
Stone moths have close-ups of their wings, and the wings of tricaris are covered with fur rather than scales
Stone moths are another species, much like moths, and their larvae are also water-dwelling forfid insects
Stone moth larvae, which stick fine sand into houses hunched over their backs, eat algae in the water
Stone moths, much like moths, are larvae of trichophylloptera that live in water. The larvae use fine sand as a house and live like snails at the water's edge, feeding on algae plants on rocks. Although it is not a moth, since it is called a stone moth, it can also be introduced here. The stone moth is distinguished from the moth in that it does not have scales on its wings but is hairy. In fact, it is not only the hairy winged order that has fur on the wings, but also the wings of flies and bees.
The hemp hook moth is on the front, like a white leaf, and is very common in the forest
The ventral surface of the hemp hook moth resembles a white leaf
Dead leaf ruler moth, in the dead leaves can be mixed with fish eyes
The dead leaf moth will actively choose to accompany the dead leaves, worthy of being a master of disguise
The larvae of moths are even more diverse, and their feeding and behavior patterns are also different. Our attention and research on a species should not stop at adult insects or specimens, but should focus on its entire life cycle and its ecological significance. So our research on the creatures of nature is endless.
Grimace moth larvae, the larvae are beautiful, but the adults are more frightening
Purple light moth 4-year-old larvae, open teeth and claws that no one dares to touch, the larvae feed on the leaves of Privet or small wax
A 5-year-old larvae of the genus Lycaena, the larvae feed on the leaflet Privet leaf
The ginkgo silkworm moth is an old mature larvae, the most common species of the great silkworm moth family, with long hairs
The cocoon of the Ginkgo giant silkworm moth, the grid-like cocoon is very recognizable, is the most common large silkworm moth family
Dead leaf nocturnal moth larvae, very strange in form and behavior
Bridge-building insect (inchworm larvae)
Stinging moth larvae = foreign spicy insects, do not touch its stinger, otherwise there will be a kind of burning tingling sensation
Larvae of the family Ulmus, simulated as dendritic
Larvae of the family Ulmus, which spit silk and hang in the air
Helen Lin August 31, 2022
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About author:Lin Hailun, director of Ningbo Drug Inspection Institute, has been paying attention to the study of ningbo's native animal and plant resources for more than 30 years, discovering a large number of rare species, and has long been committed to science popularization.