Urania sloanus
Encyclopedia
Sloane's Urania was a moth
of the Uraniidae
family, last reported in 1894 or 1895., but possibly surviving until at least 1908.
It was black with iridescent
red, blue and green markings. The iridescent parts of the wings do not have pigment; as determined by optical sciences for the species Urania fulgens belonging to the same genus, the color originates from refraction
of light by the ribbon-like scales
covering the moth's wings.
This moth is considered “the most spectacular Urania species”. As most species of the subfamily Uraniinae
, it was a day flying
moth while most moths are active at night
; its bright colors advertised
, as a warning, the fact that it was also toxic.
Based on our knowledge of extant uraniine species, it is likely that Sloane's Urania migrated between patches of host plants, after population explosions locally defoliated them. This probably required relatively large, intact areas of lowland forest. It was endemic to Jamaica
. Habitat loss when Jamaica's lowland rainforests were cleared and converted to agricultural land during the colonial era may have contributed to its extinction, but large parts of primary forest still remain. Thus, the more probable answer to its extinction would be that the moth population “crashed below a sustainable level, perhaps a victim of loss of one of its larval foodplants” such as the toxic Omphalea
triandra L. and O. diandra. Like other members of the genus Urania, periodic swarms of moths were separated by years of great scarcity.
The genus name Urania is New Latin
from Latin
Urania
from Ancient Greek
Ουρανία, one of the Muses, literally 'The Heavenly One'. The specific epithet sloanus honours Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), an English collector whose collection became the foundation of the British Museum.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Uraniidae
Uraniidae
The Uraniidae are a family of moths containing four subfamilies, ninety genera, and roughly seven-hundred species. The family is distributed throughout the tropics of Americas, Africa and Indo-Australia. Some of the tropical species are known for their bright, butterfly-like colors and are called...
family, last reported in 1894 or 1895., but possibly surviving until at least 1908.
It was black with iridescent
Iridescence
Iridescence is generally known as the property of certain surfaces which appear to change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes...
red, blue and green markings. The iridescent parts of the wings do not have pigment; as determined by optical sciences for the species Urania fulgens belonging to the same genus, the color originates from refraction
Refraction
Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed. It is essentially a surface phenomenon . The phenomenon is mainly in governance to the law of conservation of energy. The proper explanation would be that due to change of medium, the phase velocity of the wave is changed...
of light by the ribbon-like scales
Scale (zoology)
In most biological nomenclature, a scale is a small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection. In lepidopteran species, scales are plates on the surface of the insect wing, and provide coloration...
covering the moth's wings.
This moth is considered “the most spectacular Urania species”. As most species of the subfamily Uraniinae
Uraniinae
The Uraniinae or uraniine moths are a subfamily of moths in the family Uraniidae. It contains seven genera that occur in the tropics of the world....
, it was a day flying
Diurnal animal
Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...
moth while most moths are active at night
Nocturnal animal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by activity during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal"....
; its bright colors advertised
Aposematism
Aposematism , perhaps most commonly known in the context of warning colouration, describes a family of antipredator adaptations where a warning signal is associated with the unprofitability of a prey item to potential predators...
, as a warning, the fact that it was also toxic.
Based on our knowledge of extant uraniine species, it is likely that Sloane's Urania migrated between patches of host plants, after population explosions locally defoliated them. This probably required relatively large, intact areas of lowland forest. It was endemic to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Habitat loss when Jamaica's lowland rainforests were cleared and converted to agricultural land during the colonial era may have contributed to its extinction, but large parts of primary forest still remain. Thus, the more probable answer to its extinction would be that the moth population “crashed below a sustainable level, perhaps a victim of loss of one of its larval foodplants” such as the toxic Omphalea
Omphalea
Omphalea is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae and the only genus of its tribe . It comprises 17 species, all of which are tropical shrubs, trees or lianas. 12 of them are native to the Americas, 4 are endemic to Madagascar and 1 to Africa...
triandra L. and O. diandra. Like other members of the genus Urania, periodic swarms of moths were separated by years of great scarcity.
The genus name Urania is New Latin
New Latin
The term New Latin, or Neo-Latin, is used to describe the Latin language used in original works created between c. 1500 and c. 1900. Among other uses, Latin during this period was employed in scholarly and scientific publications...
from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Urania
Urania
Urania was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy. Some accounts list her as the mother of the musician Linus. She is usually depicted with a globe in her left hand. She is able to foretell the future by the arrangement of the stars...
from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
Ουρανία, one of the Muses, literally 'The Heavenly One'. The specific epithet sloanus honours Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), an English collector whose collection became the foundation of the British Museum.
External links
- Urania sloanus Peale specimen from The Academy of Natural Sciences general collection Contains a photo (with scale) of a specimen collected by Titian R. PealeTitian PealeTitian Ramsay Peale was a noted American artist, naturalist, entomologist and photographer. He was the sixteenth child and youngest son of noted American naturalist Charles Willson Peale.-Biography:...