Magnificent Moths

The less glamourous cousins of the butterflies and more mis-understood, moths outnumber butterflies 10:1 in India and the world over. The nights were surely reserved for moth watching. Dr. Shubbhalaxmi set up a light trap & we had a real feast of a variety of moths; some sober, some cryptic and some as colourful as butterflies. And not all butterflies are colourful either as you would have seen in the previous section. During our trails we also came across some day flying moths. How do we differentiate between moths and butterflies? Well, the best indicator is the antenna; butterflies have them clubbed, moths do not have them clubbed, instead they may be hairy in some species.
Very limited studies and literature is available on Moths. So Identifying them is that much more challenging. Fortunately, Dr. Shubbha has done her Phd on these charming creatures and was able to help in  giving upto order level ID of  most of them. So you will frequently see the names of the orders as Geometirdae, crambidae etc.
 Here are a selection of some of the misunderstood beauties of the night (&even the day). For more photos, pls visit my Namdapha Moth album on https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112250072654186799432/albums/5811333086278149105?authkey=CKf-naXlmqD4kAE

One of my real favorites & the first to be seen this is the Giant Uranid Moth; scientific name is Lyssa Zampa

Caterpillar of the Arctiid Moth

Geometridae, Ennominae

Deprenidae - Hooktip Moth

Erebidae, Arctiinae, Syntomoides imaon - Handmaiden Moth

Bombycidae

Geometridae

Crambidae???

Erebidae, Arctiinae, Creatonotos gangis

Arctiidae - Tiger Moth

Erebidae, Arctiinae, Barsine

Geometridae, Ennominae

Crambidae - Grass Moth species

Arctiidae

Zygaenidae, Eterusia aedia

Erebidae,Lymantriinae, Carriola ecnomoda

Lasiocampidae, Taragama siva

Erebidae, Arctiinae, Barsine cruciata

Geometridae, Ennominae

Arctiidae

Limacodidae - Slug Moth

Noctuidae - Asota caricae - White Sptted Asota

Notodontidae, Baradesa sp nr lithosioides (Openwing)

Geometridae, Geometriinae, Eucyclodes gavissima

Geometridae, Ennominae

wooly Bear caterpillar of the Arctiidae moth

UNID caterpillar of Moth

Moth lady Dr. Shubhalaxmi near the light trap

Noctuidae Aganainae Asota egens

Crambidae, Spilomelinae, Glyphodes bivitralis

UNID Moths mating

Bombyciidae

Geometridae, Ennominae, Tanaorhinus sp

Tussock Moth - Langka Lymantridae Numenes siletti

UNID Moth

Geometridae

Caterpillar of the Deathshead Hawkmoth

Arctiidae

Crambidae -Grass Moth

Geometridae, Ennominae

Drepanidae - another Hook tip Moth

Again an Arctiidae - Erebidae, Arctiinae, Barsine orientalis

Geometridae, Ennominae

Erebidae,Lymantriinae

Geometridae

And finally before say goodbye to Namdapha, found this interesting mating pair on a tree in the Forest Rest house at Deban - Notodontidae, Metanastria sp.