What is it about?
A moth that disguises itself as a bee and was previously only identified by a single damaged specimen collected in 1887 has been rediscovered in the Malaysian rainforest by a lepidopterist from Poland. The Oriental Blue Clearwing, Heterosphecia tawonoides, was filmed sucking up liquids among bees in its natural habitat.
Featured Image
Photo by Kenny Cinders on Unsplash
Why is it important?
In times of rapid species extinction, a lost, iridescent blue species of clearwing moth has been rediscovered after 130 years.
Perspectives
This rediscovery shows how important it is to protect the remaining, highly biodiverse rainforests of Southeast Asia, where deforestation rates are the highest in the world. The Oriental Blue clearwing is just an example of a species living in these precious forests, others include charismatic animals such as tigers, elephants or sun bears. If these habitats disappear, so will all these species.
Dr Marta Skowron Volponi
Uniwersytet w Bialymstoku
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A 130-Year-Old Specimen Brought Back to Life: A Lost Species of Bee-Mimicking Clearwing Moth, Heterosphecia tawonoides (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Osminiini), Rediscovered in Peninsular Malaysia’s Primary Rainforest, Tropical Conservation Science, January 2017, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1940082917739774.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Video of: 130-year-old specimen brought back to life: a lost species of bee-mimicking clearwing moth rediscovered in Peninsular Malaysia's Primary Rainforest
Supplementary video showing Heterosphecia tawonoides in its natural habitat
Article in The Guardian about Oriental Blue Clearwing rediscovery
Press release by Global Wildlife Conservation picked up by The Guardian
Article in Science Magazine
Article about the rediscovery in Science
Mongabay article about rediscovery
An article by Mongabay about the Oriental Blue Clearwing rediscovery
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