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Unknown moth

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-3.21673, -78.9218

Field Notes

Description:

A bright red butterfly living side by side with a specie of beetle of the genus Astylus. The butterfly has the same colors of the beetle and it looks very much like the beetle (picture included). Apparently the butterfly mimics the beetle.

Habitat:

Hig montane paramo, slopes of the Andes to the Amazon in Ecuador.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (12)
Mark Ridgway
?Maybe put this into a specialist moth forum for comment. https://www.facebook.com/groups/137219092972521/
GustavoMorejon
If you check the genus Alabonia, it also have the long labial palps.
GustavoMorejon
After a long consideration and detailed revision ... I think it is an Oecophoridae. I've found some species like those on the genus Hypercallia and the sub family Depressariinae, with similar large labial palps. But, I also discovered that Oecophoridae, as well as some other families in the Gelechioidea, are a very obscure and not so well studied group of moths. It won't be a surprise if it is a new specie !
GustavoMorejon
Hi Mark, yes .. it is very unusual. Both the Melyridae and the butterfly shared the same place and both were walking in the same space ... in fact, some of the photographers that came with me, thought the butterflies were in fact the beetles !
Mark Ridgway
Very interesting. The large, recurved labial palps are unusual. Although the colors match the pattern is very different and the moth also has a lower profile than the beetle. I don't see Notodontidae. Oecophoridae better or some other Gelechioidea. ??
GustavoMorejon
Thank you Larry. There are still some mysteries to solve about this two species, but I think that soon it will be solved !
GustavoMorejon
Thank you Maria. The relation between the two species is very clear. I wonder if it is Müllerian mimicry or Batesian mimicry. I'm not sure about it and this is why I need to know at least the butterfly's family.
Maria dB
This is a very interesting spotting - the similarity between the two insects is demonstrated well.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Butterflies & Moths of the World
Mission
Mimetic Animals of the World
Mission
Moths of the World
Mission
Butterflies and Moths of Ecuador
Biodiversity of Ecuador (BioBanco)

Tags

Photographed
PublishedOctober 27, 2014

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