Nina C. Wilde

agreed--the curve of white line on the upper third of the hindwing isn't present on any reference photos I can find online or in my ID books.

I am pretty certain this is within Genus Dichordophora however I can't identify to species.

just started look through images in the genus... may not get to finish looking for a while yet though... I'm off from work and am thinking I'll treat myself to a nap any minute now!

Thanks for chiming in bayucca...

BTW, I skimmed all of Matthew Barnes' sites arctiid plates too.

Exactly J, all the others have different hindwings than this one--although perhaps this is a species that has different male/female coloration? So tough to find resources to ID moths from Mexico, Central and South America.

It's a moth. You can know the differently by looking at the antennae--no knobs on ends, it's a moth, knobs on the end, it's a butterfly or skipper. This likely in the group of Arctiidae... looked through hundreds of possible images, but no match as of yet. Perhaps genus Hypocrita, close to Hypocrita temperata in Bayuca's photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/likestofish...
and this photo here http://www.flickr.com/photos/29096471@N0...

I think this is either striped beauty or pickwick, but scientific name is Crocus vernus either way
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/g...

http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species...

apparently, J, I'm in one of the few breeding areas in the Northern areas that this bird travels. I feel pretty lucky to have gotten 3 in one shot. I'm guess one momma, full seated, and other two, her babies.