Are Those Wasps...or Moths? - Observation of the Week, 8/22/23

Our Observation of the Week is this pair of mating Myrmecopsis kenedyae tiger moths, seen in Trinidad and Tobago by @brystrange!

“I was walking alone through the northwestern rainforest of Trinidad one evening, when I saw what I thought to be two wasps on the leaf of a short plant,” says Bryan Ramdeen, a Biology student at the University of the West Indies and a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Field Naturalists’ Club (TTFNC).

Without hesitation, I immediately aimed my camera and took a photograph. Only when I zoomed in on the photo and noticed the antennae did I realize that they were in fact moths (wasp-mimicking moths) in front of me. I became excited as I’ve seen these moths before on iNaturalist and I knew they were an uncommon species, so I took a couple more photographs.

Trinidad and Tobago is home to a number of really cool wasp moths in the subtribe Euchromiina, which is in the family Erebidae (check out photos and a guide to some of them here). Many do mimic wasps quite well, sporting transparent wings and narrow wasp-like “waists,” which is believed to deter predators. As Bryan mentioned, their antennae are a bit feathery/hairy upon closer inspection, which his photos clearly show.

While Bryan’s main interest is spiders, he’s fascinated by all wildlife and tries to document as much as he can.

Having obtained a camera in 2021, documenting the wildlife around me became much easier, especially with a macro lens. I try to go on walks through the rainforests of my islands as often as I can, with hopes of coming across unknown or uncommon species, especially spiders. I am not currently involved in any active research, but I plan to do extensive research on the various spider species found in Trinidad and Tobago.

He uses iNaturalist for his research on spiders, and is the top spider identifier in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the Lesser Antilles.

I use iNaturalist to share my own observations with the world as the biodiversity in Trinidad and Tobago is very rich due to it once being part of South America. Thus, there are a lot of undescribed species (especially arthropods) to be discovered and documented, which I hope to contribute to. Lastly, I use iNaturalist for leisure. It brings me much joy and fun to spend hours on iNaturalist seeing and identifying people’s observations and having them identify mine.

iNaturalist has definitely changed the way I see the world. I am now constantly looking around me for wildlife everywhere I go, which has actually made me more observant and better at finding it. iNaturalist helps me connect with people across the world who have similar interests as me. I am grateful to have gained so much knowledge about the organisms around me from identifications by other naturalists.

(Photo of Bryan by Shenelle Ramkhelawan (@sheneller). Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.)

- @sheneller's black-veined hairstreak butterfly was an Observation of the Week back in 2021!

- Take a look at the most-faved spider observations from Trinidad and Tobago!

Posted on August 22, 2023 09:06 PM by