These colorful scales belong to a common North American insect. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to answer the following:
1. What part of the insect is shown? (2 points)
2. To what family (1 point), genus (2 points), and species (3 points) does this insect belong?
3. Which of the following plants is least likely to host the immature form of this insect? Carrot, Tulip Tree, Oak Tree, Black Cherry, Magnolia (2 points).
The cumulative points winner across all mysteries for the month of February will win their choice of 1) any 8×10-sized print from my insect photography galleries, or 2) a guest post here on Myrmecos.
Good luck!
1) It’s a butterfly wing!
As for 2) I’m going with Papilionidae, genus Papilio.
3) Oak tree is least likely.
2) Papilio glaucus Linnaeus, 1758 is my guess for species.
Lepidoptera, Epargyreus clarus.
Carrot
I say it’s the wing of Aporia crataegi, the only pierid (that I know of) that’s common in the US and all up on fruit trees.
I’d guess hindwing of Papilio polyxenes (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) and it would be least likely to be on Magnolia.
1. The part is probably the wing
2. Family: Nymphalidae; Genus: Limenitis; and Species: L. arthemis
3. Maybe carrot!!!
1. Wing 2. Papilionidae, Papilio, P. glaucus 3. Oak
A new MNM before the previous one has been answered? What is the world coming to?!?!?!?
My guess is: wing; Papilionidae, Papilio glaucus; carrot. More important, what are the long white things at the top, right quadrant of the photo?
I think some scales are elongated. These would be concentrated near the medial margin of the hind wing.
Appears to be morphs perhaps functioning more like normal setae (e.g. proprioceptors). Wing scales have numerous shapes. Males of some species have scales designed to release pheromones (androconia). Never fails that the closer you look at bugs, the more amazing stuff you see.
http://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Anatomy%203.htm
1. Wing.
2. Papilionidae Papilio glaucus
3. Oak tree
1) wing 2) Nymphalidae, 3) Limenitis 4) arthemis 5) Oak tree?
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