Hallo leute

foto und orginal bericht auf: http://insectnet.proboards.com/index.cgi...lay&thread=4362
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This wonderful day-flying moth is Argyrolepidia palaea, an Agaristinae, Noctuidae.

I caught it in August 2009 in the Pass Valley, on km48 after Wamena (West Papua), about 1800 m altitude.
I spread it only 4 months ago (I had so many Delias to spread before...).
Once spread, I asked my friends who know Papua if they could identify it ... nobody could.

Then I contacted Rob de Vos and Henk van Mastrigt (worldwide specialists of Papuan lepidoptera) and they had never saw it and thought it was a new species. We contacted many other specialists... nobody knew it.

Thus I sent the specimen to Leiden Museum in Holland for them to write the new description.

But we just learnt yesterday from the British Museum that it has already been described in 1905 by Rothschild & Jordan as Argyrolepidia palaea from one single specimen now stored in the British Museum.

So it was a nice adventure but unfortunately for me not a new species ! :)

My specimen is the second known specimen of this rare day-flying moth.
For the first time, a picture of Argyrolepidia palaea is shown and my specimen will be donated to Paris MNHN to complete their Agaristinae collection.

For the first time in my life, I regret Rothschild and Jordan's work ! ;)

Read more: http://insectnet.proboards.com/index.cgi...2#ixzz2PbxN4X8E