by Krishna Mohan
Blue Tiger Moth - Dysphania palmyra
Even though that evening was drizzling I was trying to photograph Black Drongos (Dicrurus macrocercus) which were busy catching insects during late evening. Light was fading but my new Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS lens was able to get many pictures albeit in slower speed. As I came back to my In-laws house I saw this day flying moth which flew and sat on the metal box outside their home.
Even though I was not able to reach the box which was sufficiently high I got my trusty rig of Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM on Canon EOS 5D mark II fitted with ExpoImaging Ray Flash Adapter on Canon Speedlite 580EXII Flash out to shoot this moth. The metal box where it was sitting was a rusty one. The biggest challenge was to reduce the reflection of the flash from the metal box. The ring flash adapter helped me by diffusing the light evenly to produce a pleasant lighting.
Blue Tiger Moth - Dysphania palmyra
This is a very common moth we see around here. It is also one of the few day flying moths as most moths fly in the dark hours of night. It is called by various names as Blue Tiger moth, Four O’clock Moth, Peacock Jewel moth. This Dysphania palmyra species of moth belongs to the Family Geometridae. The inch worm caterpillar which I posted a year back belong to the same family of moths.
Many Geometrids have slender abdomens and broad wings which are usually held flat with the hindwings visible. As such they appear rather butterfly-like but in most respects they are typical moths: the majority fly at night, they possess a frenulum to link the wings and the antennae of the males are often feathered. They tend to blend in to the background, often with intricate, wavy patterns on their wings. In some species, females have reduced wings and are flightless (e.g. winter moth and fall cankerworm).
Most are of moderate size, about 3 cm across but a range of sizes occur. They have distinctive paired tympanal organs at the base of the abdomen (lacking in flightless females).
Blue Tiger Moth - Dysphania palmyra
The name Geometer (earth-measurer) refers to the means of locomotion of the larvae or caterpillars, which lack most of the prolegs of other Lepidopteran caterpillars. Equipped with appendages at both ends of the body, a caterpillar will clasp with its front legs and draw up the hind end, then clasp with the hind end (prolegs) and reach out for a new front attachment – creating the impression that it is measuring its journey. The caterpillars are accordingly called loopers, spanworms, or inchworms. They tend to be green, grey, or brownish and hide from predators by fading into the background or resembling twigs. Some have humps or filaments (see Filament-bearer image). They are seldom hairy or gregarious. Typically they eat leaves. However, some eat lichen, flowers or pollen. Some, such as the Eupithecia, are even carnivorous.
Blue Tiger Moth - Dysphania palmyra
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/125 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/14.0
ISO Used:
200
Flash Used:
Flash fired, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Daylight
Focal Length:
100.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2010:06:13 18:33:38
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 55' 20" N, 74° 51' 55.2" E, 697 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/125 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/14.0
ISO Used:
200
Flash Used:
Flash fired, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
Daylight
Focal Length:
100.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2010:06:13 18:33:56
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 55' 20" N, 74° 51' 55.2" E, 697 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/125 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/14.0
ISO Used:
200
Flash Used:
Flash fired, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
As Shot
Focal Length:
100.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2010:06:13 18:37:25
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 55' 20" N, 74° 51' 55.2" E, 697 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/125 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/14.0
ISO Used:
200
Flash Used:
Flash fired, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
As Shot
Focal Length:
100.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2010:06:13 18:38:11
GPS Location in Google Map:
12° 55' 20" N, 74° 51' 55.2" E, 697 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
Tags: Arthropoda, Asia, Blue Tiger Moth, Bondel, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, Canon EOS 5D mark II, Canon Speedlite 580EXII, Dakshina Kannada, Dysphania, Dysphania palmyra, Dysphaniini, ExpoImaging Ray Flash Adapter, Four O'clock Moth, Geometrinae, Geometroidea, India, Insecta, Karnataka, Lepidoptera, Mangalore, Peacock jewel Moth
Posted in Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Comments (3)
by Krishna Mohan
Daphnis minima
My daughter called me that day to photograph a moth which she thought was Oleander Hawk-moth(Daphnis nerii). When I went close to take photograph I realized that it was not Daphnis nerii. It was looking very similar to Daphnis nerii, but was brownish all over instead of the bright camouflage green Oleander Hawk-moth had. You can see Oleander Hawk-moth here as well as in my Macro Stitching a Moth post. You can also see its caterpillar at Metamorphosis.
I photographed this moth using my Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM on Canon EOS 5D mark II with Rayflash fitted to Canon Speedlite 580EXII Flash. All photos were taken hand held at an awkward angle perching on a wooden stool as the moth was sitting close to fluorescent tube light outside my house. Ant which passed by during the shoot gave nice dimension of scale to the photograph.
Daphnis minima
Later going through identification I found that it did not even resemble another likely candidate Daphnis hypothous. Later at Indian Moths Yahoo Group I found out that it is Daphnis minima. This species is endemic to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. I thank Dr Ian J. Kitching and Roger C. Kendrick For helping me out in identification.
For more details on Daphnis minima check this link.
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/125 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/10.0
ISO Used:
200
Flash Used:
Flash fired, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
As Shot
Focal Length:
100.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2010:02:06 19:15:41
GPS Location in Google Map:
13° 4' 1.8" N, 74° 59' 44.3" E, 1271 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
EXIF info…
Camera:
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens:
EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
Exposure Mode:
Manual exposure
Exposure Time:
1/125 sec.
Exposure Bias:
0.0
Aperture (F Stop):
f/10.0
ISO Used:
200
Flash Used:
Flash fired, compulsory flash mode.
White Balance:
As Shot
Focal Length:
100.0 mm
Metering Mode:
Pattern
Date Time:
2010:02:06 19:17:41
GPS Location in Google Map:
13° 4' 1.8" N, 74° 59' 44.3" E, 1271 m.a.s.l.
Copyright ©
Krishna Mohan
All rights Reserved. This Image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or trasmitted in any forms or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written permission. If you’d like to make usage request, just ask: drkrishi@drkrishi.com
Tags: Akruthi, Arthropoda, Asia, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, Canon EOS 5D mark II, Canon Speedlite 580EXII, Dakshina Kannada, Daphnis, Daphnis ernestina, Daphnis minima, Deilephila minima, India, Insecta, Karnataka, Lepidoptera, Rayflash, Sphingidae
Posted in Nature, Photography, Wildlife | Comments (4)
Subscribe to RSS feed
Follow me on Google+ 
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Twitter
