Venezuelan poodle moth caterpillar

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Artace is a genus of moths in the family Lasiocampidae. The genus was erected by Francis Walker in In , Kyrgyzstani zoologist Dr. Arthur Anker [4] photographed a moth in the Canaima National Park of the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela , and the photograph went "viral" on the internet, [5] including hoaxes claiming to be additional photos. John E. Rawlins from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History concurred with Anker's suggestion of the genus Artace for the identification:. The antenna is distinctive.

Venezuelan poodle moth caterpillar

About this rating. The moth was first discovered and photographed in and is believed to be a new species. It's thought to belong to the lepidopteran genus Artace. The " Venezuelan poodle moth " is a possible new species of moth discovered in in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela by Dr. Arthur Anker of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Images of the fuzzy moth discovered by Dr. Anker took the Internet by storm in August , as reported by the Christian Post :. A Venezuelan poodle moth is mystifying researchers, baffling the internet, and confusing everyone at a first casual glance. The insect, seemingly a blend of a large moth and a bright, fluffy white poodle, was discovered in and may be a new species. The Venezuelan poodle moth was first captured on film by Dr.

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But the trouble with this type of instant information is that Internet content is by its nature highly fallible when it comes to accuracy. And because we are usually moving quickly through the information presented to us, we can misunderstand but still think we know. Take the case of the Venezuelan Poodle Moth for example. My first impression of this moth was gleaned from this info window — the photographs, the authoritative comment from Wikipedia, the taxonomic classification. My reaction: could this moth be any cuter?

Kansas is known as a butterfly-friendly state, with a national program devoted to the study and conservation of monarch butterflies headquartered at the University of Kansas. Its position as a central state ensures that it is part of the range of a large number of both moth and butterfly species, which means that it has an equally diverse selection of caterpillars. The eastern tent caterpillar and the fall webworm are both considered pests in Kansas thanks to their habit of leaving unsightly clusters of webbing on trees and other foliage. The eastern tent caterpillar produces smaller web clusters that sometimes go unnoticed, but their feeding habits are responsible for defoliation of landscapes and orchards in the early spring. Fall webworms are generally considered the greater nuisance due to their tendency to cover large sections of trees and foliage with their webbed nests.

Venezuelan poodle moth caterpillar

The discovery of a new life form on Earth is always incredibly exciting — especially when so many creatures are sadly diminishing and even going extinct. But it's even more exciting when that creature is so insanely adorable that the people can't even believe it's real — like this unbelievably sweet ocean creature. But when it comes to surprisingly cute creatures, nothing tops the famed Venezuelan Poodle Moth, so called because of its resemblance to a fluffy, white poodle. Arthur Anker of Kyrgyzstan, the poodle moth has quickly gained Internet fame due to its cuteness. As it turns out, yes! But the poodle moth has yet to be classified, as not enough research has been done to determine its taxonomy and Latin name.

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The poodle moth was photographed in by Kyrgyzstani zoologist Dr. As a reminder, here is the Google results window I started with:. Taxon identifiers. Email Required Name Required Website. One of the most elegant demonstrations of evolution was recorded by legendary naturalist and grandfather of evolutionary biology, Charles Darwin. The insect, seemingly a blend of a large moth and a bright, fluffy white poodle, was discovered in and may be a new species. Fact Checks. Understanding the relationship between plants and their pollinators, Darwin hypothesised that there must be a very specialised insect that feeds almost exclusively on this nectar source, and pollinates the plant in return. The giant Malagasy hawk moth Xanthopan morganii praedicta. So, in separating fiction from fact, I would say that the Google info window results would leave the casual observer convinced that this moth exists, that it is large, fuzzy and friendly, and that it comes in a variety of colours. This cute little piece of art is part of a larger art sculpture Fig 2 exhibited at the Itami City Museum of Insects in Hyogo Japan in Dolittle Sponsored by the American Physiological Society. Any other photos you may have seen will be a different moth species, or simply fake. Leave a comment Cancel reply. There are more than a dozen described South American species of Artace, but their delimitation, validity, and even their generic placement is uncertain.

With its furry scales and distinctive appearance, featuring white coloration and black eyes, the Venezuelan Poodle Moth has developed defense mechanisms against predators, such as soundproofing fluff made of chitin. The Venezuelan Poodle Moth has a limited distribution within its specific habitat in the high-altitude grasslands of Venezuela.

Retrieved 4 February Login My Profile Logout. He used his background in zoology, cryptozoology, and science writing to showcase the animal on his blog among other amazing finds. It looks a lot like a moth. We can guess at a couple of things, though. Taxonomy of invertebrates is generally a lot more time-consuming than with larger animals. Lymantria alexandrae Lymantriidae , just look at those antennae: My new favorite though, is the chicken worm caterpillar:. Taxon identifiers. Email Required Name Required Website. Arthur Anker of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The " Venezuelan poodle moth " is a possible new species of moth discovered in in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela by Dr. It could be in the family Lasiocampidae Some level of taxonomy is easy enough to guess at.