The AirBnB property that the four of us booked for our time in Ayampe could not have been better situated for nocturnal "mothing". Tabbed as the best view in all of Ayampe, the property overlooked a lush, forested hillside that sloped to the Pacific Ocean far below. We set up the moth sheet on the porch, with the light shining like a beacon for all insects to see.
It is not an exaggeration when I say that the mothing here was the very best that I have ever experienced. In just our first night we observed about eight species of sphinx moths, five individual Lebeau's Silkmoths, and maybe 200 other species of moths. I could go on and on about it, but I will let the photos do the talking!
I will start off with the silkmoths. Lebeau's Silkmoth is absolutely huge, one of the biggest moths we have ever seen. At one point five individuals were on the sheet at once, so we carefully maneuvered them for a group photo.
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| Rothschildia lebeau - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Rothschildia lebeau - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
A tiger moth with a Lebeau's Silkmoth silhouetted on the back side of the sheet.
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| Dysschema marginalis - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Dysschema marginalis - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
The sphinx moths were also impressive, and as the evening wore on more individuals flew in. Back home I am happy if I get one sphinx on my sheet in a given night, let alone the double digits we attracted this evening.
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| Xylophanes ceratomioides - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Manduca lefeburii - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Manduca florestan - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Eumorpha anchemolus - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Eumorpha anchemolus - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Adhemarius gannascus - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Manduca florestan - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Xylophanes anubus - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
Below are a few of our other favourite moths from the evening.
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| Unidentified cutworm moth - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Tachychlora sp. - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Copaxa sp. - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Spilomela perspicata - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Unidentified prominent moth - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Cosmosoma xanthosticta - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Pero sp. - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Sosxetra grata - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Siga pyronia - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Milgithea sp. - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Myelobia sp. - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Bryolymnia roma - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Unidentified lappet moth - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Cosmosoma sectinota - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Baecula gallopavo - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Callisthenia angusta - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
A number of geckos were watching the moth sheet from high in the rafters. I have no doubt they fed well over the two nights that we had the sheet set up.
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| Phyllodactylus reissii - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
Below are a few of the non-moths that we enjoyed throughout the evening.
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| Diabrotica sp. - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Pelidnota notata - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Exora encaustica - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Arocera apta - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Omophoita sp. - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Steirodon sp. - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Rhyssocephala sp. - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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| Cyclocephala melanocephala - Ayampe, Manabí, Ecuador |
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