Venezuelan poodle moth

The Venezuelan poodle moth is an as-yet unidentified species of moth photographed in 2009 by Kyrgyzstani zoologist Dr. Arthur Anker[1] in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela.[2] Anker initially captioned his photo as "Poodle moth, Venezuela",[3] naming it after its resemblance to a poodle.

External image
image icon Venezuelan poodle moth image from Dr. Arthur Anker's Flickr

Classification

Anker hypothesized it could be a member of the genus Artace, namely the species Artace cribraria.[4]

Dr. John E. Rawlins from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History concurred with the Artace classification:

Here’s my vote/guess to ID the poodle moth. The antenna is distinctive. "Lasiocampidae: Artace or a related genus, probably not Artace cribraria (presumably North America to Argentina, but nobody has revised this group from Mexico south). There are more than a dozen described South American species of Artace, but their delimitation, validity, and even their generic placement is uncertain. It will take two things to solve this problem: a comprehensive revision of Artace and kin, plus an actual specimen of a genuine “Venezuelan poodle moth.”[2]

The moth is often confused online with images of the domestic silk moth (Bombyx mori), which is native to China.[5] Cryptozoologist Karl Shuker noted the Venezuelan poodle moth has a superficial resemblance to the muslin moth (Diaphora mendica),[2] a tiger moth from Eurasia.

Measurements derived from Dr. Anker's photographs show the moth to be about 1 in (2.5 cm) in length.

The unusual appearance and dearth of actual information on the moth has led to it being compared to famous animal hoaxes.[6][2]

Habitat

The photographs were taken in the Canaima National Park of Venezuela. The region includes diverse habitat types, including moist forest and high rock plateaus known as tepuis.

Material of its fur and potential predators

Poodle moths exhibit a distinctive characteristic that piques interest: the fluffy exterior covering their bodies, composed of chitin—an insect equivalent to cellulose found in plant cell walls. Chitin, a robust polysaccharide, serves various purposes, including structural support and, notably for poodle moths, creating sound-absorbing fluff as a defense against bat echolocation. This fluffy layer absorbs sound, muffling the return signal and making it challenging for bats to detect the moths through echolocation. The observed fuzziness of the poodle moth implies a defense mechanism against bats, positioning them as potential predators, even if the exact identity of these predators remains uncertain.[7]

References
  1. "Arthur Anker - Wikispecies".
  2. Abad-Santos, Alexander (30 August 2012). "Venezuelan Poodle Moth Is the Internet's Favorite Pet This Week". The Atlantic. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  3. "Poodle moth, Venezuela". January 2009. Archived from the original on 2012-08-26. Retrieved 2022-12-21.
  4. Poodle moth (Artace sp, perhaps A. cribaria), Venezuela - Arthur Anker
  5. Mikkelson, David (2013-07-10). "Venezuelan Poodle Moth: Photograph purportedly shows a newly discovered species of 'Venezuelan poodle moth.'". Snopes.com. Retrieved 2018-05-13.
  6. Boyle, Alan. "Bizarre poodle moth fascinates ... and frightens ... the masses online". NBC News. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  7. "10 Venezuelan Poodle Moth Facts". Fact Animal. Retrieved 2023-09-28.


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