Macroglossum time

For those of you who are not night owls, but still want to see moths, do not despair!

In Hong Kong, the start of the cooler dry season period is one of the best times of year to see hummingbird hawkmoths (species in the genus Macroglossum) by day, especially in cloudy weather. or in the hours close to sunrise and sunset. Keep an eye on areas with lots of flowers, as these moths are avid drinkers of nectar - favourites used are Bidens pilosa and especially large shrubs of Duranta erecta.
Identification of these moths with magnificent flying ability, whose wings beat so fast they hum (looking and sounding remarkably like their New World equivalents - the hummingbirds) is not easy. At least 19 species are now known to have been seen in Hong Kong, with a key to these species available at http://hkentsoc.org/bulletin/HKEB2(1)_Macroglossum_kendrick.pdf Since this paper was published in 2010, Macroglossum faro has also been recorded in Hong Kong.

Getting photos of these moths is something of a challenge - the fast movement of the wings usually looks a blur in photos, so hiding tell-tale markings and preventing identification to species. A fast camera flash is usually sufficient to "freeze" the wings, though, so watch where the moths feed, and prepare the shot in advance (pre-focus), because there will not be much time to press the shutter.....

Good luck, and don't forget to post your resulting observations of Hong Kong Macroglossum moths here on the Hong Kong Moth Recording Project, please !

Publicado el 04 de noviembre de 2015 por hkmoths