Anthrax irroratus? - Anthrax

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Moved from Anthrax.
Hi Aaron, wing pattern doesn't seem sufficient, and is too variable in this group. Please see the INFO page for this group.

… Hartmut Wisch, 1 October, 2009 - 12:34am

Oh Well...a good try :-)

Thanks for working on this Hartmut.

… Aaron Schusteff, 1 October, 2009 - 1:15am

Hey, by the way,

we do, finally, have an unambiguous A. cintalpa. See this INFO page.

… Hartmut Wisch, 1 October, 2009 - 1:48am

Thanks for the tip Hartmut

I checked out the photos...wow! Gerardine and you are making me seriously consider switching from Canon to Nikon :-)

… Aaron Schusteff, 1 October, 2009 - 3:44am

Can't really give technical

advice, but I'm very happy with my Nikon D300, though should learn more about it. I recently added the SB-900 speedlight, which I tried out in front of my house just as, serendipitously, a big robber fly came by: see Proctacanthus occidentalis.

… Hartmut Wisch, 1 October, 2009 - 2:24pm

Grass is often Greener...

After writing my last comment, I had the treat of viewing more of Gerardine's wonderful images. In relation to my Nikon comments...I was amused to find one post where she expressed a desire to get a Canon so she could use the MP-E 65mm 1-5x lens :-)

Of course, good equipment makes a difference. (And I'm only beginning to appreciate how much of a difference good flash makes for macro insect photography.) But good equipment isn't sufficient...the skill and knowledge needed to use that equipment well, the drive and perseverance so seek out and find the quarry, the eye and aesthetic for recognizing and framing a beautiful image, and the patience and finesse needed to actually pull it off...those are essential.

Perhaps I'm confounding equipment with these other variables when I admire the photos taken by some of my favorite Nikon users :-)

PS: Lucky you to be able to walk out in front of your house and bump into a Proctacanthus...nice place! :-)

… Aaron Schusteff, 3 October, 2009 - 7:54pm

Hello, Aaron,

this does look like an irroratus to me, with a wing pattern close to that shown by Marston (1970) for the "dark western form" of this highly variable, and widely distributed species.
I'm about to post a photo of one that landed on my hiking boot earlier this year.
Perhaps Andy Calderwood will look at this with more authoritative comments.

… Hartmut Wisch, 1 December, 2007 - 2:36am

Anthrax looks good

but wing pattern seems to differ from A. irroratus. You have a nice, clear presentation of wing veins; hopefully that will gain you an ID to species in the future.

… Ron Hemberger, 20 August, 2007 - 11:03am

Yes, just first attempt...

...A. irroratus looked best to me among the five species shown on BugGuide, but Neartica list 27 species. Who knows?

… Aaron Schusteff, 22 August, 2007 - 6:36pm