very rare butterfly

Critiques [Translate]

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• Argus (23431)
• [2008-06-27 5:13]

Hello Macitosher,
Welcome to TN!
This is not a butterfly at all, but a night-flying moth of the Noctuidae family. Butterflies have clubbed antennae, while moths generally have tapering antennae.
I can't be more specific about the species but this is a fine sharp and well presented portrait.
When they rest during the day many noctuid moths like this one are well camouflaged, but on being disturbed they flash the eyelike markings, which often scares a potential predator.
TFS this beauty, and I hope to see many more fine shots from you,
Regards,
Ivan

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• nagraj (1378)
• [2008-06-27 5:34]

hi jose,
welcome to TN.
yes, this is a moth no doubt, but its difficult to specify (not an owl moth). there are more moths than butterflies. but this one is beauty as we can see here, what a disign of nature. TFS.
nagraj.v

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• aes_thor (1570)
• [2008-06-27 5:50]

Hi,
very beautifull moth, great patterns on wings, don't know the species, never seen this one before. Welcome to TN and keep posting,
cheers
Adrian

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• mariki (8423)
• [2008-06-27 11:45]

Hello Jose,

Superb picture of this moth. Excellent focus and reproduction of the wonderful patterns and colours on the wings. Excellent white background.
Cheers,
Mariki

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• peter_stoeckl (9369)
• [2008-06-28 7:20]

Dear Jose,

more time now for a few more words on your very interesting documentary posting. Meeting that moth must have been very exciting. Once at daytime on a trip through a Malaysian rain forest many years ago I incidentally chased up a very similar one, and I was appalled by those large eyes staring at me when it sat down a few metres in front of me again.
The pattern is amazing as it contains very three-dimensional looking parts that do a perfect job of ultimate contour dissolving when resting on dry leaves or the bark of a tree.
Your presentation is very neat, but at the same time looking very unnatural. The moth seems to have landed on a white surface, allowing you to take a good picture by use of flash, and this is an opportunity that no one of us would ever miss to take. The very tight and heavy border however, much too closely cropped on top, makes it look like a naturalised moth in a wood framed glass box. This is what most of us here would try to avoid.

Your finding definitely seems to be a male of a member of the Noctuidae family, called:

"Nyctipao leucotaenia (Guenée, 1852)"

formerly also known as "Erebus crepuscularis (Linnaeus, 1758)"

reported from New Guinea and Australia. You may check with Indian specialists if this species has also been reported from Kerala yet.

For a picture, you may check:

http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/cato/crepusc.html

http://bcrc.bio.umass.edu/kunkel/Moths/hampson/jpegs/ccvii-480.jpg
http://bcrc.bio.umass.edu/kunkel/Moths/hampson/generic_index.html

Looking forward to more of such interesting documents from splendid tropical Kerala. Welcome to TN!

With best regards,
Peter

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• gannu (10812)
• [2008-06-28 8:03]

Hello Macitosher,
Welcome to TN. If I am not mistaken this is owl butterfly. the focus is pretty sharp and brilliantly done. You have slightly cropped the top but its okay. Well done and thanks for sharing this. Ganesh smiley tmorrow