Buff Arches – Moth of the Moment

My first Buff Arches moth in several years. Once it settled it was rather obliging for the photo shoot. Buff Arches moth with its wings open, resting on a stone As many Sciencebase regulars will know, when this exquisite moth tents its wings it looks very peculiar, almost as if there’s a smooth area where a chunk is missing. The early naturalists called it Habrosyne pyritoides, the species component of which alludes to it resembling a chunk of “iron pyrites”. The Habrosyne genus name roughly means elegant. So, this moth might be called the Elegant Iron Pyrites Lookalike. It does have the look of fool’s gold… Buff Arches moth, wings closed It seems that it actually evolved to look like a splinter of flint on the woodland floor. So, while many species have evolved to look like bird muck or leaves or bark or have eyes (ocelli) to hide from or distract predators, Buff Arches is camouflaged as a stone. Buff Arches face-on Buff Arches sideview