Sun Moth: New Moth Species Discovered in China
Posted on June 20, 2013
A new moth species has been discovered in China. The newly described sun moth belongs to the family Noctuidae, also known as owlet moths. The name of the species, Stenoloba solaris, was inspired by the orange circular patch on its wings, which the scientists say resembles the rising sun. The study about the new moth species was published in Zookeys.
The study authors Drs Pekarsky and Saldaitis wrote in a statement, "During a spring expedition to north-west Yunnan, a striking specimen of an undescribed Stenoloba was collected.. Only a single male was caught at ultraviolet light on 24 May 2012 near Zhongdian in northwest China's Yunnan province in the remote Baima Xue mountain range. The new species was collected in a wide river valley near mountain mixed forests dominated by various conifer trees, bushes and rhododendron."