Hugh, Rich, Diana, et al, I'd like to weigh in on the discussion concerning Olethreutes. I believe Diana's moth is most likely O. ferrolineana based on the preponderance of gold on the forewing. After checking the plates and descriptions in Gilligan et al (Olethreutine of the Midwestern United States), there is also a size difference between the 3 species (O. ferrolineana, O. coruscana, and O. astrologana); O. astrologana tends to be signficantly smaller than the other two, 5.5-8.5mm vs 7-10mm for the other two. I also had an Olethreutes this morning that I've seen in previous years. My moth is tiny, approx. 5.5 mm and is much darker than Diana's moth with alternating bands of orange and black of about equal proportion. I believe my moth is probably O. astrologana based on its small size and overall darker coloration. I've attached a photo for comparison. I agree with Hugh that this complex is probably not separable to species; however, I also think that some individuals that are distinctly smaller and darker overall, such as my moth, can be identified as O. astrologana with some degree of confidence. Merrill On Thu, May 12, 2011 at 7:56 AM, Hugh McGuinness <hdmcguinness@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Hi ALl, > > I agree with all of the IDs that Rich suggested except that I would caution > that I do not know how to differentiate Olethreutes ferrolineana and O > coruscana from astrologana because I have never looked at a drawer of them > in a curated colection. Gilligan et al. suggest that they must be dissected > to make a sure determination. Also I do not know whether either of these > species occur in Tennessee. > > Hugh > > On Thu, May 12, 2011 at 3:09 AM, Richard Healy <rdhealy1951@xxxxxxx> wrote: >> >> Diana >> The first and second moth are 4652 Tortricidia testacae I believe the >> third is 2837 Olethreutes astrologana and the last moth is Agryrotaenia >> quercifoliana. Rich >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Diana Stock-Prescott <diana.stockprescott@xxxxxxx> >> To: tn-moths@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >> Sent: Thu, May 12, 2011 1:29 am >> Subject: [tn-moths] More ID help >> >> The first and second are the same moth, different view. It's maybe 1/2". >> >> Diana Stock -Prescott >> Knox Co, TN >> > > -- J. Merrill Lynch Echo Valley Farm Watauga County, NC Elevation: 3,400 feet
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probable 2837 Olethreutes astrologana.jpg
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