Tricolored Acrobasis - Acrobasis suavella

Moved to Acrobasis suavella

Moved from Tricolored Acrobasis Moth.

I believe that your 3 specimens at BOLD, which are placed in BIN BOLD:AAH4680, refer to A. suavella, (Zincken, 1818), samples AVBC 527-10 (above); AVBC 490-10 and AVBC 569-10. BOLD:AAH4680 is the BIN for this European species which was apparently introduced in Vancouver. Your specimens in BOLD:ABZ1808 appear to be correct for A. tricolorella but I should point out that what we are calling that species may be a complex with more than one species based on what I see at BOLD.

The most obvious difference I see it the pm. line being less jagged than in A. tricolorella . It would be great if you could submit AVBC 569-10 which shows this more clearly. May I use that at MPG?

… Steve Nanz, 8 September, 2018 - 5:21am

Thanks, Steve!

Appreciate you letting me know all this. We get what I was assuming to be A. tricolorella fairly often. Will take a closer look at them from now on - I see what you mean about the PM line.

Have attached the photo of AV 569-10:

You're very welcome to use it for MPG.
(That goes for any other of our photos which might be useful. Bob Patterson asked for permission years ago & I just assumed it had continued on with you. You're doing a great job on MPG!)

… Libby & Rick Avis, 8 September, 2018 - 12:45pm

Thank You

Thanks! I added the image. And thanks for the encouragement.

I only asked about the permission because it was on BOLD. I assume BugGuide images were OK to use for all MPG contributors but wasn't sure about BOLD. Also, I was confident that you had taken the photo but many images are photographed at BOLD so the copyright can be an issue.

There's a bunch of other misidentified suavella taken from the Vancouver area in that same BIN at BOLD. I notified them and hopefully it will all get checked and corrected.

… Steve Nanz, 8 September, 2018 - 1:49pm

Ok.

I just went on the BOLD site and changed our three ID's to suavella.

With regard to MPG generally, we live in a fairly small town & it makes such a difference to have access to a site like this and the expertise that goes along with it. My three first "go to" spots for moths are MPG, Bug Guide and the Pacific Northwest Moth site. When I first started Bob Patterson was so helpful, patiently explaining what were pretty basic questions - couldn't have have made nearly as much without him.

… Libby & Rick Avis, 8 September, 2018 - 2:41pm