26 April 2014

26 April 2014 – Oxymoron Moth

Scarce Prominent (Odontosia carmelita)

Our National Gardens Scheme evening brought as many moths as it did people – not many. However, what looked as if it was going to be a complete wash-out (the rain persisted, the east wind picked up) was saved by an examination of the previous night’s catch which included two new species.  The first can be seen above, a moth that is both scarce and yet prominent; a moth of contradiction. Odontosia carmelita refers to the tooth-like (Greek : odontos) thrust (Greek : osis) of the prominent dorsal scale-tooth which can be seen clearly in the photograph; carmelita the monkish Capuchin cowl that the moth appears to have put on.  This moth is a lover of woodlands, and Dave Chesmore (Shandy Hall’s expert consultant) was very pleased to see it seemingly out of its normal habitat.  The gardens continue to attract a wide variety of moths as can be seen in this article from the Guardian newspaper. This is species number 331.

In the photograph of the illustration below, the creamy markings on the fore-edge of the wings are clearly visible.

Scarce Prominent (illustration)