Ginkgo biloba silkworm moth
The green-tailed silkworm moth
Tiger-striped long-winged ruler moth
Yang er-tailed boat moth
Yellow leopard large silkworm moth
During the day, the dancing butterflies are popular, but the "night elves" who come out after dark and like to fly under the lights ——— moths, but they are not very popular. But in fact, there are many beautiful species of moths.
At present, the cold air is moving south, the butterflies have almost disappeared from people's sight, and in the suburbs, some moths are feathering.
Lin Hailun, director of the Ningbo Wildlife Conservation Association and an insect expert, told reporters: "At present, the moths of the great silkworm moth family are in the breeding period, which is an insect that overwinters with eggs, which is slightly larger than the average butterfly, and is as colorful as a butterfly. If you're lucky, you'll run into them in the countryside. ”
It is the breeding season for moths
Recently, Lin Hailun found in the outskirts of Ningbo that some large silkworm moths have feathered and drilled out the cocoons they once carefully woven. "It's the breeding season for moths in the family Macromothidae." They usually feather before winter, and then lay hard-shelled eggs that overwinter in the form of eggs. "This is very similar to the habits of insects such as praying mantises and grasshoppers."
On June 9 this year, Lin Helen collected the cocoons of several ginkgo large silkworm moths from Siming Mountain, and just a few large moths had just feathered out in the past few days. The moth's cocoons are significantly thick, grid-shaped, common in the wild, and easy to identify. The Ginkgo silkworm moth has a wingspan of about 15 cm, and has a variety of colors such as orange, yellow, brown, brown, and black, and the abdomen and wings of the insect are wrapped in golden hair, and the front and back wings have two eye spots, which are as beautiful as the eye butterflies. On closer inspection, their antennae are much shorter and feathery than those of a butterfly, which is a hallmark feature of moths.
"Recently, I also took pictures of the yellow leopard silkworm moth in the wild, which is a larger moth like the ginkgo giant silkworm moth, and the color is more colorful than the ginkgo giant silkworm moth." Lin Helen told reporters happily.
Among the butterflies that have been found in Ningbo, there is only one kind of green gray butterfly, and the individual is relatively small. Recently, a green-tailed silkworm moth dressed in green has also feathered out. Green wings, white abdomen, and six red legs, such a color match, let people remember it at a glance. When it spreads its wings to perch on the branches, the two tail protrusions hang down like ribbons, looking like a kite.
In October this year, Lin Helen found a very strange larvae on a high mountain in the town of Ninghai Fork Road. "The larvae are green and have two long tail protrusions at the tail. When disturbed, orange-red tubular objects appear in the caudal process and swing from side to side, but there is no special smell. Lin Helen was about to take this picture. Recently, the larvae have feathered into a male moth with a sharp contrasting black and white color, which is very different from the color of the larval stage. "After reviewing the information, it was found that this moth is called yang erwei boat moth, which is a moth that overwinters with pupae."
During this time in the wild also common elm phoenix moth, its adult insects and phoenix butterflies are very similar, the bottom of the wings is gray-white, the wing surface has a neat and eye-catching black vein, there is a row of red spots on the outer edge of the hindwing, plus a red abdomen, which is also considered to be a higher value in the moth.
Being a "cousin" with butterflies
Lin Helen told reporters that moths and butterflies are "cousin" relationships, and they are members of the large family of Lepidoptera. Because both adult moths and butterflies have scales on their wings, which are distinctly different from all other insects, they are uniformly classified into the category of "Lepidoptera".
"In the same region, the species of moths is usually 5 or even 10 times the species of butterflies. In Ningbo, there are already 205 species of butterflies recorded, so in theory, Ningbo should have more than 1,000 species of moths. However, because the vast majority of moths come out at night, the types of moths we usually see are very limited. ”
"Moths that move at night tend to be phototropic." Therefore, Lin Helen said, in the summer street lights can often see a variety of moths flying, sometimes these evenings attracted by the street lights, still stop in place after dawn. "I remember going to Nanxi Hot Spring in Ninghai one summer, I found more than 10 kinds of moths such as lamp moths, night moths, dead leaf moths, and large silkworm moths on a large stone block that had been illuminated by lights. If you go at night, it is estimated that there will be more gains. ”
According to relevant data, there are more than 120,000 kinds of moths in the world, and there are 90 families of moths in China, about 8,000 kinds. Most moths are gray in color, thick in body, and have small wings that are relatively inconspicuous.
Since most moths come out at night, they are known as "night elves". "However, in Ningbo, we can also find some moths that are as beautiful as butterflies that come out during the day, such as moths such as the spotted moth family, the lamp moth family, and the moth family." Helen Lin told reporters.
The reporter found that these colorful moths look like butterflies at first glance, so how to distinguish them?
Lin Helen told reporters: "The difference between moths and butterflies mainly depends on the shape of their adult antennae, the former is filamentous or feathery, while the antennae of adult butterflies are mostly stick-shaped, and the apex is slightly expanded." ”
In addition, most moths have thicker abdomens and smaller wings, butterflies have thinner abdomens and broader wings; moths have gray and furry bodies and wings, and butterfly wings are bright and usually have less body hair; moths do not stand up when they roost, but build a roof ridge, and butterflies often fold their wings on their backs when they rest; moths usually make cocoons before pupating, or burrow into the dirt, while butterflies are usually naked pupae, not cocoons.
Some of the moths are poisonous
So, are moths beneficial or pests? Lin Helen told reporters that moths are the enemy of agricultural production and forest trees, most of the moths have a super reproductive rate, most of the moth larvae eat the leaves of plants, large and medium-sized moth larvae will eat the entire leaves of the plant, our insecticide is mainly used to deal with moth larvae.
Like some butterflies, some moths are poisonous. "For example, the larvae of the family Pterophoridae are covered with poisonous spines, the larvae of the family Venomidae are poisonous, and the larvae of the family Mothidae secrete poisonous juice. If a person's skin touches it, a severe allergic reaction will occur. "And in life, the little moths in the food cabinet are also annoying.
"In addition to the beneficial plants for adults to pollinate at night, most moths are 'pests' for agroforestry. But in terms of the entire ecosystem, they are also food that is preyed upon by other animals, and it is an important link in the food chain. Helen Lin said.
□ Ningbo Evening News reporter Zhou Kona
Correspondent Helen Lin Text/Photo