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Project Noah Nature School
Smicropus laeta
Very bright day-flying Geometrid moth with black bands on a yellow background, about 2 cm wing span (Subfamily Sterrhinae). See also: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/171....
Tropical forest of the Chiflon Waterfall below the town of Tzimol, Chiapas, Mexico.
See also the spotting of this species by Luis Stevens from the same Waterfall area. http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/122...
Thank you Luis, this one was sitting on the rocks right in a heavy mist from one of the waterfalls and didn't seem to mind getting quite wet. (I also had to get quite wet to take it's picture, ha ha :) There must be some variation in the black banding on the wings among individuals.
Smicropus laeta is fround from Mexico to Northern South America (Colombia Venezuela). Smicropus laeta IS yellow, even bright yellow! So any other color you see is altered by processing or age of the specimen.
Thank you bayucca for your help with this moth. It seems to be only reported for Costa Rica? and this Mexican specimen is more yellow than orange.
Spotted on Oct 14, 2012
Submitted on Oct 20, 2012
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