Biology:Venezuelan poodle moth
 Venezuelan poodle moth image from Dr. Arthur Anker's Flickr |
The Venezuelan poodle moth is an as-yet unidentified species of moth photographed in 2009 by Kyrgyzstani zoologist Dr. Arthur Anker[1] in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela.[2] Anker initially captioned his photo as "Poodle moth, Venezuela",[3] naming it after its resemblance to a poodle.[citation needed]
Classification
Anker hypothesized it could be a member of the genus Artace, namely the species Artace cribraria.[4]
Dr. John E. Rawlins from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History concurred with the Artace classification:
Here’s my vote/guess to ID the poodle moth. The antenna is distinctive. "Lasiocampidae: Artace or a related genus, probably not Artace cribraria (presumably North America to Argentina, but nobody has revised this group from Mexico south). There are more than a dozen described South American species of Artace, but their delimitation, validity, and even their generic placement is uncertain. It will take two things to solve this problem: a comprehensive revision of Artace and kin, plus an actual specimen of a genuine “Venezuelan poodle moth.”[2]
The moth is often confused online with images of the domestic silk moth (Bombyx mori), which is native to China .[5] Cryptozoologist Karl Shuker noted the Venezuelan poodle moth has a superficial resemblance to the muslin moth (Diaphora mendica),[2] a tiger moth from Eurasia.
Measurements derived from Dr. Anker's photographs show the moth to be about 1 in (2.5 cm) in length.[citation needed] The unusual appearance and dearth of actual information on the moth has led to it being compared to famous animal hoaxes.[6][2] Subsequent expeditions to the region have been unable to spot the moth again.[citation needed]
Habitat
The photographs were taken in the Canaima National Park of Venezuela. The region includes diverse habitat types, including moist forest and high rock plateaus known as tepuis.
References
- ↑ "Arthur Anker - Wikispecies". https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Anker.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Abad-Santos, Alexander (30 August 2012). "Venezuelan Poodle Moth Is the Internet's Favorite Pet This Week" (in en). https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2012/08/venezuelan-poodle-moth-internets-favorite-real-life-pokemon-tk/324111/.
- ↑ "Poodle moth, Venezuela". January 2009. https://www.flickr.com/photos/artour_a/4207478815/.
- ↑ Poodle moth (Artace sp, perhaps A. cribaria), Venezuela - Arthur Anker
- ↑ Mikkelson, David (2013-07-10). "Venezuelan Poodle Moth: Photograph purportedly shows a newly discovered species of 'Venezuelan poodle moth.'". Snopes.com. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/venezuelan-poodle-moth/.
- ↑ Boyle, Alan. "Bizarre poodle moth fascinates ... and frightens ... the masses online" (in en). https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/bizarre-poodle-moth-fascinates-frightens-masses-online-966585.
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