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Photo#1839492
Spotted little surprise - Homadaula anisocentra

Spotted little surprise - Homadaula anisocentra
Amethyst Brook Conservation Area vicinity , Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA
June 20, 2020
Given how many other people around here have better equipment than I do, and spend a lot more time moth-watching, and know much more than I do about identifying them, I usually assume that whatever moths I see - especially micros - are common species that many others have seen too. Apparently not this time! The only other records I see here are all from Tom Murray's yard, and iNat has none at all; will have to check with an expert or two about records outside of the citizen-science world...

Part of the 2020 MIIDGE project

PostScript: the species is apparently (as often happens, especially with micro-moths) more common up here than the Guide and iNat have captured. TeĆ” Kesting-Handly notes "I have gotten it regularly in Suffolk Co., i even saw some caterpillars once! I think i also have it from Plymouth Co" and Steven Whitebread says "Tom regularly gets it in Groton {Middlesex County}, it has appeared at Dave Small's house {Worcester Co} and Betsy Higgins has had it in Florence {Hampshire Co}." So people in NY and the rest of New England probably have it around and just haven't noticed yet.

Post-poscript: I had over a dozen of these around my porch light on July 30! How are there not more iNat or BugGuide records of this species in the northeast? Not like it's difficult to identify, and it's small but not *that* small...

Images of this individual: tag all
Spotted little surprise - Homadaula anisocentra Spotted little surprise - Homadaula anisocentra