Saturday, June 12, 2010

Moths From Kinabalu National Park

The sun set rather fast in Kota Kinabalu Park. By 6 pm, the sky was already quite dark, the fluorescent lights at the dinning area of Liwagu Suite where we stayed, were like special attractors to many species of moths and some unknown insects.

Once the moths were attracted to the brightness, they would head to the light source and many of them in fact resting on the glass panel, on the tiled floor, chairs and tables.









Many people think that moths are drab and hairy compared with butterflies. The reality is that some moth species are colourful with fascinating natural cryptic patterns which help them to camouflage.









One effective way to distinguish between a moth and a butterfly is by looking at the antennae. The antennae of a butterfly are club-shaped at the tip whereas the antennae of a moth are unclubed at the end - some species even have comb-like or feathery antennae.


There are more than 150 000 species of moths with different sizes, colours and shapes.
















There were many small moths high up on the wall which was out of my camera's effective range. In addition to the night symphony performed by frogs and other night critters, these moths make our night a memorable one.

Though many Moths are nocturnal but there are some species active in the day. This particular moth was found in Sapi Island along the beach.
This orange day-flying moth belongs to the family Callidulidae which can be easily mistaken as a butterfly as it landed with both wings folded. Indeed, not all moths fold their wings when they are at rest.

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