Hawkmoth - Preflight Warming-up ホシヒメホウジャク♀の飛び立ち

Female hawk-moth (Neogurelca himachala sangaica, family Sphingidae) warming-up before take-off. Late-Octobre 2008 in Japan.
http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/lh/photo/2luLEWe1_yprNQ8DC-Seqw?feat=directlink

ホシヒメホウジャク♀（蛾）を夜の灯火下で捕獲して来ました。後翅のオレンジが眼にも鮮やか。すぐには飛び立てません。しばらく小刻みに翅を震わせて体を温めないといけな­いのです（室温１9℃）。逆に止まっていた蛾がこの準備運動を始めると、じきに離陸するなと予想がつきます。この個体は弱っているのか、照明に向かって飛び上がれず卓上を­滑走するだけでした。

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• hawkmoth
• moth
• warm-up
• fly
• take-off
• ホシヒメホウジャク
• スズメガ科
• 飛翔
• 離陸
• 準備運動
• 飛び立ち

[tj987654987654Andrew]

I believe she is spreading Pheromones.

[sigma1920]

@tj987654987654Andrew

thanx!

but how can i prove that?

i did not see any males attracted to this female in captivity.

[KawaiiKemonomimi]

Trying to get more of these at my house. I love how they fly and I love the fat, horned worms they start out as.

[sigma1920]

glad 2 hear that.

many ppl detest hornworms and moths as ugly! **sigh**

[KawaiiKemonomimi]

Nope, not me. Even with a garden, I think caterpillars are cute. Slugs are being the pain here. LOL! Plus it may come from childhood memories of when I collected hornworms from my grandmother's tomatoes. She was so glad to see them go.