Mournful Thyris

Pseudothyris sepulchralis

May 29, 2006

I was out with a splinter group of

the CT Corps of Discovery and Bill Kobak

grabbed what he at first thought was an

interesting fly.  Upon closer inspection

it turned out to be this day-flying moth.

There were several in the area, all of which were very active, occasionally stopping

to "puddle" in what passes for a sand plain 

in Madsion, CT (my neighboring town).

This adds a new family to the site (Damn! more

work for me) - the Thyrididae, or "Window-winged

Moths".

While I presume these are wasp mimics, they remind me more of what Bill originally mistook them for; flies, specifically, Tiger Bee Flies ( Anthrax tigrinus), the larvae of which feed on carpenter bees. 

 *The funny thing is, there were carpenter bees in the area.  The moths would all gather in a small cluster, as if discussing something.  Then one would leave the group and buzz over the heads of the carpenter bees, sending them in a wild panic.  Seems like they have a sick sense of humor.

*Okay - made that up, but if I was a Mournful Thyris...