Hooray, Moth!

[goosey]

I am so pleased - we had our first moth of 2008 in the garden today! Actually it was on the window when we got up, where it stayed until about 7.15pm. Before it flew off it spent about 10 minutes stretching its wings.
It was a male Early Moth - Theria primaria, and actually although its very common this time of year, in the two years I have been recording species that come into the garden this was a new one for me !
Well, I think it's exciting .

[Suzanne B]

Good for you!!!!
I haven't seen any moths or butterflies yet.
Is that the first moth you've seen this year or just the first Early Moth?
I've just had a quick read up on that one and it says that the females are almost wingless. Does that mean that they don't fly or is there another reason for it do you know?
Anyway, glad you've had your first sighting!

[goosey]

Thanks Suzanne,
It's double first - the first moth of the year and the first Early Moth!
The females have tiny little squared off wings and are incapable of flight. They just sit around on bare twigs and wait for the males to find them - what a life eh!

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Suzanne B

I've just had a quick read up on that one and it says that the females are almost wingless. Does that mean that they don't fly or is there another reason for it do you know?

Originally Posted by goosey

The females have tiny little squared off wings and are incapable of flight. They just sit around on bare twigs and wait for the males to find them - what a life eh!

I have just been reading about another female moth the Water Veneer - Acentria ephemerella, a micro moth (Crambidae) .
There are two types of female, one has wings and the other is wingless like mentioned above. But what is really strange is that the wingless variety live under water! They come to the surface to mate with winged males. Their larvae are entirely aquatic, and feed on aquatic plants.

I wonder why this species have two type of female? Pehaps it goes back to when all things lived in the water and these females didn't emerge and evolve like the others? Or, perhaps the land dwelling wingless females are sucseptible to adverse weather conditions by water, eg drought or flooding?

(What a coincidence, it was a year ago today I started this thread , alas no first moth of 2009 to report)

[H Dogg]

Possibly for dispersal?

Or.. Like alot of parasitic wasps which have both sexual and asexual females. Perhaps the water females are parthenogenic could this be it?

[Capall Dubh]

I,d say a bit of both,as the irish say, to be sure, to be sure,to be sure.Lets face it, isnt that how we all started.

[goosey]

I am gald to be able to report my first moth of 2009! A male Agriopis leucophaearia - Spring Usher, I saw it in the Zuid Kennemerland National Park (I am still to see any in the garden) this morning. Luckily I was able to get closed and open wing shots.



They are common moths, onthe wing in mild nights from January to March. The female of the species are wingless and single brooded.
The larvae only feed on oak during april and May, then overwinter as a pupa.

[Yogi]

I had my first moth of the year 2 night ago. It flew in the window and landed on the T.V. I placed it outside on the window ledge, hope it survives.