Image of Polyhymno luteostrigella Chambers 1874

Description:

No, that's not its real common name, just what the pattern reminds me of (Leonardo Da Vinci's uniforms for the pope's Swiss Guard). I think it's just called the Polyhymno Moth. Anyway, it seems my penchant for snapping pictures of things that, realistically speaking, are just plain too small for my camera (5.2 mm long, in this case) has really paid off. This is probably my best micro to date. Not only is it an incredibly gorgeous little creature, but it is also very uncommon here. Bob Patterson of MPG tells me he knows of a single specimen observed in Maryland (I presume by Bob himself), but an internet search did not turn up any documentation for this species east of the Mississippi and north of FL.