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Pero mizon
medium large prominent moth possibly pero mizon http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.ed...
near porch light, mixed conifer/hardwood forest
same as my last spotting but the sun is up and I had decent light I had tried to get him to open his wings. Note how the tail section in #2 look like eyes and a face! The real face is in the last two photos
Spotted on Jul 24, 2012
Submitted on Jul 24, 2012
7 Comments
I would guess this guy at over 2 inches(flew off so I cannot actually measure), but that's closer than 1.25. The pattern is more mizon, for sure. I'll go with that until someone else comments
Pero behrensaria is another possibility but in bugguide the wingspan is listed at slightly less than 1.25in (http://bugguide.net/node/view/209341) and Pero occidentalis (http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/insec...) has a wingspan of just over 1.25inch. So I guess it's really down to estimated wingspan. Certainly quite a tough one but if visually it looked closer to a 2inch wingspan, mizon may bea good bet. All I've got :). Perhaps there's a more local expert who can add to this.
Yes, I'm not too good in cm either :). 4.1 cm is somewhere between 1.5 and 1.75 inches.
Ok, my best guess would now be Pero mizon. The wingspan is listed as 4.1cm so, in general, it would be a good deal larger than Morrison's Pero. Also there seems to be less speckling than with Morrison's. Some info at http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/insec.... Good call on the size difference. I hope this helps. Ian
I couldn't find sizes for any of them. But http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.ed...
http://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.ed...
Both live here. Oh, and given my upbringing I still can't see or think in mm and need a conversion. Sorry
Hmm, the wingspan of Morrison's Pero can range from 34-40mm but looking at what occurs in your area it could be one of several species. Pero Mizon looks too small but Pero occidentalis (I can't find a size for this one) is another possibility. I'll do some more digging and let you know if I come up with anything. Sorry, my ID was probably a little hasty.
Ian, please check http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/121... that was identified as the same thing. Less than half it's wingspan and body length. Slightly different pattern. Obviously both pero moths, but can the size difference be SO dramatic?