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Photo#43368
Otter Spiramater - Spiramater lutra

Otter Spiramater - Spiramater lutra
Town of Bailey's Harbor, Hidden Corners Sanctuary, Door County, Wisconsin, USA
June 7, 2003
Adult came to black light. ID made by examining specimen. It did not appear to have a common name, so I gave it the name "Otter" because of the following from "Webster's Third New International Dictionary", page 1599: lutra is from the Latin word, lutreola, meaning "otter." The word, otter, could also refer to the larva of a ghost moth (Hepialus humuli) that is very injurious to hop vines. Also could be named for "otter brown," a dark grayish yellowish brown that is slightly yellower and deeper than seal and less strong, slightly redder, and darker than sepia brown. Who knows what the person (Achille Guenee??) who named it had in mind.

and the scientific name for the river otter
is Lutra canadensis. Check out Robin's comments on

Your records are incorrect
I have the original publication of the genus name and it is Spiramater. It was proposed as a new genus to include 2 species lutra and grandis. "A reclassification of the Polia complex for North America (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)". Timothy L. McCabe. 1980. Bulletin #432, NY State Museum. p.32.

 
Name changes
Janice J. Stiefel Thank you, Tony! It sure is hard to keep up with name changes these days. The Checklist of Wisconsin Moths, published in 2000, has Spirameter, but then I just checked Papillons Du Quebec and that says Spiramater. Thanks for the correction. I just thought it was a typo.

 
There was no need to check
I was looking at Tim McCabe's original publication and his spelling. I mean, I had the publication on my desk in front of me while I was typing. This has to be the correct spelling regardless of how anyone else spells it.

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