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Home » Forums » Moth Forum

Smerinthus cerisyi vs. jamaicensis

Hello,

I'm new to observing moths that seem to gather on the wall outside my front door. I've been seeing some lovely Smerinthus species and would like to know if there are ways to distinguish between cerisyi and jamaicensis without seeing the spots. I found spots on one today that clearly ID it as a cerisyi. Yesterday I thought I had a jamaicensis but now I think maybe it was a cerisyi. I have pics of them but not showing spots on the underwing, since I only learned to look for those today. Any help on ID without seeing the spots would be very helpful in my newly developing moth knowledge!

Also, I noted today that one of the specimens I photographed was a very dark rusty-red-brown colour as opposed to the others that I have photographed from the past 2 days, which have been mostly a more ordinary brown shade. Is that indicative of anything or just natural variation.

Not sure how to link images to this post...if someone can help me on that, I can post the images that I've taken of the Smerinthus moths.
Thanks!
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Contributed by Scotiaspinner on 2 June, 2013 - 9:41am

thumbnails?
Oh, perhaps I have it figured out....
Here are pictures of the Smerinthus cerisyi and Jamaicensis moths that I took. I know that the image with the exposed hindwing shows the spot, so that is an easy ID method, but sometimes, if I try to see the hindwing, the moth flies away. I would like to know what, on the forewings, or other parts, will help me know the difference between these two species. The jamaicensis is more red-brown in this case, but I don't think they all are. I think many are more of the woody brown of the cerysi.

So, I'm hoping there are other characteristics that I can use to ID them in future, beyond that hindwing spot.


… Scotiaspinner, 2 June, 2013 - 2:18pm login or register to post comments

Posting is easy
Crop your image so it is essentially "just the bug". Click on ID Request and follow the instructions for filling in the fields. At one point you will click on Browse and will have to move through the links to get to the image on your computer so you can post it. Good luck. Check the Help Tab. Ask some questions if you have any problems.
… john and jane balaban, 2 June, 2013 - 1:06pm login or register to post comments

 
Oh, yes, I have done that. I
Oh, yes, I have done that. I have the images, or at least some of them, already posted, and IDd. I just need to know how to get them to show up in this forum thread, in my post. I see there is an HTML tag but I don't know how to use those and I couldn't find instructions in the help section for adding images to forum posts. (sorry, newbie challenges!)
… Scotiaspinner, 2 June, 2013 - 1:16pm login or register to post comments

 
thumbnails
I think I did it right with thumbnails.
… Scotiaspinner, 2 June, 2013 - 2:18pm login or register to post comments

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