Now you see it now you don't...
Moth makes rare appearance
Two bird watchers spotted a different sort of winged creature when they were looking out for birds near the Grand Harbour on Sunday morning - a large, strange-looking moth which was later identified as an Old Lady Moth, only the second ever recorded sighting of this species in Malta.
Michael Sammut and John Azzopardi saw the moth, whose scientific name is Mormo maura, flying in from the sea and settling on the rocks. Mr Sammut then managed to photograph it.
Identified later, it was found to be only the second record of this moth in Malta. The first was recorded by lepidopterist Paul Sammut after a specimen was found at Wied il-Luq, Buskett on June 25, 2003. A note about the occurrence of this and several other new moths appeared in the Central Mediterranean Naturalist in December 2003.
The moth has a wingspan of about 73 mm and is capable of perfect camouflage that allows it to integrate into its environment. It is found in Europe, Turkey, Armenia, Palestine and west Turkmenistan.
It is usually associated with shaded and damp river banks and stream beds. During the day it hides in crevices, old houses and damp caves.
The moth is not attracted to light but demonstrates a liking for "wine ropes". Lepidopterists use pieces of jute dipped in wine and sugar to attract moths for identification purposes.
Contacted yesterday, Paul Sammut said this was the largest moth of the noctuide family ever recorded in the Maltese islands, and could very easily be overlooked due to its habits.
"By this I do not mean it is a common species. Given the very large number of disused cellars and empty houses in Valletta, ideal habitat for this species, it may be possible that a small colony exists there," he said.