Let's reminisce about the earlier, younger, more innocent days of Lamma.com.hk, when we posted messages about pretty flowers, flowering trees, colourful fruits (like Sterculia Lanceolata) and funny-looking bugs, instead of "wounding with intent" criminal court cases...

Since the creepy-crawly season is well under way now, here's a picture of a well-designed, camouflaged and very aerodynamic-looking moth I took today. Anybody know what it is?

<img src="http://www.compunicate.com/Lamma/31/Moth-1797-bb.jpg" border=1>

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I don't know its name, but I do know that there are currently plenty of these about. They look aerodynamic, but they have no idea where they are flying to and spend most of the time running on the ground.

Yes, it is Pergesa Actea (Cramer) Moth.
Part of Shingidae Group.
Found throughout Asia but only during May/June it seems

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My inability to tolerate your ambiguity is compounding my neurosis

His name's Barry

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My real name isn't Harry.
Slurp my bean juice.

How did you know his name and gender so well?
You know this moth personally, an escaped pet of yours maybe?

You're sure he's not named Larry, Gary or even Harry?

Or Mary, if it's a girl moth, and how do you tell the gender differences in moths anyway?

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Didn't say was a male.
Is actually a female. Male has a slighty more elongated body bit at the end, if you know what I mean.
Is not called Cramer, but was first found by Cramer in 1779 & he named it Pergesa Actea. Which incidentally turned out to be the name given to the first born daughter of every generation in the family since that time.
It is a little known fact that Marlene Dietrichs real surname is Cramer & that her real name is "Marlene Pergesa Actea Cramer", but was changed to her stage name that we know & love her for.

Also, that whilst Cramer is credited for naming Pergesa Actea the very same Moth was highlighted in "Origin of Species" page 74 line 12 (paperback version)

Not to be confused with bicyclus ignobilis which is normally found in West Africa, but according to posting in other forums may occasionally be seen on the sidewalks of Lamma.
Think that covers it

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My inability to tolerate your ambiguity is compounding my neurosis

perhaps your stretching your knowledge about our friend Barry and his family a little bit o hairy knuckled Guy

We very glad to have a second wildlife expert in our midst, making our emminent expert & moderator Zep feel less lonely in this forum!
All his detractors are welcome to return to Fight Club and leave us nature-lovers, young and old alike, to gather excitedly around Uncle Guy's feet.
He'll regale us all with his adventurous tales of the magical animal kingdom and answer all our questions full of youthful ignorance:
<OL><LI>"Uncle Guy, tell us more about the Shingidae Group! Are they a red-chip conglomerate soon to IPO? If yes, how to get advance "friends & family" insider share options?"

<LI>"Uncle Guy, you mentioned the paperback version of "Origin of Species", Exactly which paperback version did you refer to? The 1793 version, printed by the Good Mountain printing factory in Heidelberg or the infamous 17th reprint from 1869?"

<LI>"Uncle Guy, tell us more about that slighty more elongated body bit at the end of Barry, we don't know what you mean!"

<LI>"Uncle Guy, I also own a bicyclus! Does that mean I automatically belong to the subspecies ignobilis? What other subspecies are there?"

<LI>"Uncle Guy, wouldn't Pergesa Actea be a great name for a rock group? They'd have to wear moth costumes on stage, of course!"</OL>Any more animal kingdom questions for Uncle Guy?

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Perform on stage dressed up as a moth? That could be the next career move for William Hung!

No need to be so shy, Naughty Samson!

You're already dressed up as penguin on the worldwide stage of this public forum, a moth costume might suit you well?

Can you sing? No? PERFECT!

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Seems yr photgraphed example may be a slightly different species as it does not have the metal spike protruding from the back of its head.
Oh, & the male [strangely] has one less leg

Yes referring to the paperback version [loose leaf copy] that was in process of completion prior to yr hardback version of 1793, which is why it preceded Cramers finding of 1779.

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My inability to tolerate your ambiguity is compounding my neurosis

Aieeeeyah! That second photo definitely looks obscene!

You want to be moved into the Fight Club, Uncle Guy? We've never had to do this before, as "Flora & Fauna" is usually a very well-behaved & civilised forum, but there's a first for everything!

First warning, Uncle Guy, we'll keep an eye on you!

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Sorry LG, but next time don't ask the question

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My inability to tolerate your ambiguity is compounding my neurosis

To paraphrase a famous proverb (which I can't remember right now):

Questions are not obscene, but answers can be!<HR>
So, Uncle Guy, how about answering the other 4 questions?

I also hope we can get some more questions from the audience soon?

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Sorry only counted 3 unanswered questions which I will answer to the best of my belief;

Sorry to disappoint but was a Korean conglomerate that went out of business producing plastic condoms. Would like to elaborate, but this forum could end up in FC. So please don't ask the question.


Ignoramus - bicyclus ignoramus

Uncle Guy, wouldn't Pergesa Actea be a great name for a rock group? They'd have to wear moth costumes on stage, of course!"
Yes I suppose so

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My inability to tolerate your ambiguity is compounding my neurosis

Thank you, Uncle Guy, for answering all our initial questions!

We really appreciate you busy famous person taking the time to answer all our impertinent questions, asked with our blissfully youthful ignorance, and on a Sunday afternoon at that!
Your dedication amazes us fans gathered around your feet.

You seem to be on duty 7 days a week, do you ever take a vacation, Uncle Guy?
Whoopsie-daisy, another question! We're just full of them, it seems!

By the way, sorry for competing with you for the BNSOTM award, but I don't like being number 2 like last month!

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Very impressive, Guy. I mailed the HK Lepidoptera group for an ID but didn't get a reply. Unless you are just making it up, of course.

Let's check Google, "Pergesa Actea" ...

Hmm yes, indeed, you're dead right. Here's another pic from the site detailing the moth survey at Yangmingshan National Park wherever that is.

I guess you are now the MyLamma lepidopterist-in-residence. Congratulations!

Alan!
You've blown my test for Uncle Guy! I wanted to see how well versed in biology he really is! He didn't respond to my intentionally wrong date, so I thought I got him tricked. I might have mentioned my several years of university-level biology degree studies? "The Origin of Species" was our bible and 1859 is a major milestone year in the history of sciences!

This topic has turned a silly corner and we all seem to enjoy it so far. Less-than-serious messages are most welcome in this topic right now. Please try, you might enjoy it, too!

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High praise & honours from the moderator of this forum, indeed!

But the officially sanctioned nomenclature used to assign official titles to the various fascinating wildlife populating My Lamma and the Lamma-zine is a suffix of "Official Court...".

We've got an "Official Court Artist", an "Official Court Cartoonist", even an "Official Court Jester". So in this case Uncle Guy would be bestowed with the high honour of "Official Court Lepidopterist-in-residence".

Hail thee, Uncle Guy, you may rise now, go forth and lepidopterate!

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