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Project Noah Nature School
A wonderful little moth, 1.5 cm long, with a large curved crest over the pronotum. In spanish, the famous headdress of the Aztec King Moctezuma is called a "penacho" and that is just the perfect word for the ornamentation of this crested little moth.
Came to an ultraviolet light in the garden for National Moth week, San Cristobal de Las Casas, 2,200 meters.
In case you have never seen the Aztec Penacho of Moctezuma, here is a picture: http://www.nationalgeographic.com.es/med.... It is currently located in Vienna, Austria because it is 500 years old and extremely fragile. Experts do not believe it can withstand any vibrations (if it were to be transported to Mexico) which would cause the barbs of the Quetzal feathers to fall off, as well as fracture the delicate connections between the feathers and the gold and silver ornamentation.
Spotted on Jul 21, 2015
Submitted on Jul 23, 2015
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