Daisy and Ashleigh found found two delicate cocoon remains still intact, buried in the mud from the boots she had worn on the trip [Ashleigh Cadet]
The specimen, which is about 18mm in length, has been named Carmenta brachyclados.
C. brachyclados’ wings are transparent, with black veins and black tips and the upperside of its body has iridescent blue stripes edged with yellow ones while the underside is a bright sulphurous yellow, the researchers said.
The humidity and and warmer temperature in the boot bag may have helped the tropical larvae survive and grow into moths during the harsh winter, the experts said.
Mark Sterling, a scientific associate at the Natural History Museum, said: “Clearwing moths are notoriously difficult to find, even by professional entomologists.
“They are even more difficult to rear from larvae or pupae, which usually dry out or go mouldy within a few days of collection.”
He said the chances of two clearwing moths from tropical jungles of South America “successfully emerging in south Wales, over three months after they arrived, in cold Welsh winter, and being preserved in good condition, is extraordinary”.
Mr Sterling said: “The improbability of this event defies rational explanation.”
Daisy said while she felt incredibly lucky to have played a role in discovering a new moth species, she also experienced “a lot of sadness and worry” about how many others are being lost to climate change.
“We are privileged to be able to make discoveries like this,” she said. “Awareness is no longer enough, and we need urgent, meaningful action to protect what remains.”
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Publish date : 2024-10-01 21:33:00
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