Day Flying Moth @ USR

Encountered this large day-flying moth at USR this morning. It seemed to have this habit of stopping on the undersides of leaves with its wings opened flat. It stopped on some leaves about two metres above me, and I had to point the lens upwards from my tripod, making Ben Jin and Federick wonder if I was shooting at a bird! :bsmile:

I thought you were shooting some rare butts while I was a few metres away, waiting a Common Hedge Blue to settle down.
A beautiful day-flying moth. I got a record shot also.

I think this is the same one we saw last Sunday? Was it shot at the same location?

The photo is of a looper moth - Dysphania malayanus (Geometridae, Geometrinae).
This species is probably involved in a mimicry ring with another geometrid moth genus (Bracca) from a different subfamily - Ennominae, and two other genera, including one in Noctuidae.

see http://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-11...oarmiini_2.php for notes on Bracca by J.D.Holloway (Moths of Borneo) and the convergent patterns.

cheers,

Roger.