Andrew Warren
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andybugguy.bsky.social
Andrew Warren
@andybugguy.bsky.social
2.3K followers 220 following 1.8K posts

IN AWE OF NATURE!

Entomologist, systematist, biogeographer, photographer; museums & collections. Based in Colorado!
he/his.

My science: https://lepscience.com/my-publications/
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andybugguy.bsky.social
Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · Nov 29
ICYMI-

"Fatal Attraction: Argiope Spiders Lure Male Hemileuca Moth Prey with the Promise of Sex"

Here are the results of 5 summers of research on this fascinating topic:

www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15...
Reposted by Andrew Warren
pecunium.bsky.social
Sex sells, and sex kills.
andybugguy.bsky.social Andrew Warren @andybugguy.bsky.social · Jan 16
It's finally out! "Fatal Attraction: Argiope Spiders Lure Male Hemileuca Moth Prey with the Promise of Sex":

Website: www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15...
PDF Version: www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15...
Male Hemileuca magnifica moths circling a caged female Argiope aurantia spider.
November 7, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
ashwhiffin.bsky.social
You can find out more about our #NMCCbiodiversity work by tuning into Gardeners World this Friday, at 8pm on BBC TWO.

📺 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
johntweedie.bsky.social John Tweedie @johntweedie.bsky.social · Oct 1
I really liked this short film with @ashwhiffin.bsky.social talking about the work being done to support biodiversity around the National Museums Scotland collections centre in Edinburgh. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcsd...
How a museum is encouraging local wildlife
YouTube video by Simon Dures
www.youtube.com
October 1, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
bugeric.bsky.social
What a moth! Eggplant Leafroller, Lineodes integra. On our backyard fence. Leavenworth, Kansas, USA, September 29, 2025. It’s facing north, abdomen curled back to nearly reach its face. Totally convincing of a wisp of dry grass.
Very slender, long-legged, narrow winged moth, facing north, perched on the edge of a knothole in a wooden fence. Moth’s abdomen is curled over its back to meet its head, like a scorpon’s tail. Overall color is brown, with white lines and darker brown ribbons down the wings.
September 29, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
mariannedenton.bsky.social
Can’t see me. Just leaf only.
Opps … I guess you can.

California Tortoiseshell
(Nymphalis californica)
🌿
A California Tortoiseshell butterfly with wings closed. From Wikipedia: The wings of the California tortoiseshell have ragged edges. The upper sides of the wings are orange with black spots and a wide black margin. The undersides of the wings are a mottled dark brown. Its wingspan varies from 3.2 to 7 cm (1+1⁄4–2+3⁄4 inches). A California Tortoiseshell butterfly with wings opened. From Wikipedia: The wings of the California tortoiseshell have ragged edges. The upper sides of the wings are orange with black spots and a wide black margin. The undersides of the wings are a mottled dark brown. Its wingspan varies from 3.2 to 7 cm (1+1⁄4–2+3⁄4 inches).
September 28, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
cbg-uofg.bsky.social
🔈 We're #Hiring: Arthropod Taxonomic Specialists (10 positions)

1 WEEK LEFT TO APPLY!

Positions are open to Canadian and international applicants. Share this post with your network!

🔗 Learn more:
Arthropod Taxonomic Specialists (10 positions) | Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies
Slideshow Banners
graduatestudies.uoguelph.ca
September 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
melbrien.bsky.social
Funded PhD position available 🎉 Come and work with me in Helsinki to uncover the pathways producing colourful tiger moth wings. Lots of options for genomics, CRISPR, fieldwork, behaviour experiments… Email with questions! jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...
Wood tiger moth on leaf. Photo: Juhani Maamela.
September 24, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
ryanstlaurent.bsky.social
FYI: Despite recent info suggesting otherwise, my lab at CU Boulder is in fact accepting grad students fall 2026! Reach out if interested in insect systematics, phylogenetics, life history, insect-plant interactions.
September 22, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
edge-nature.bsky.social
Today is the last day to help make your voice heard for protection of our wilderness, places where we need to get away from the trauma of being human. Places of solitude. Please speak up for roadless rule. It’s easy and it only takes a few minutes at this link. earthjustice.org/action/prote...
Tell the Trump administration to keep this landmark conservation rule in place
Protect forests from massive expansion of logging
earthjustice.org
September 18, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
edge-nature.bsky.social
GOP Senate bill mandates 3 million acres of public land to be sold, but NOW authorizes ANOTHER 255 million acres for sale. This is 40 percent of all public lands! An environmental disaster. Please call your senators, it takes less than five minutes. wessiler.substack.com/p/lee-daines...
Lee, Daines Up Public Land Sell Off To 258 Million Acres
The Senate's budget reconciliation package includes provision to sell off 40 percent of all public land
wessiler.substack.com
June 17, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
andybugguy.bsky.social
Oh to be a moth that cannot fly...

Meet the newly described genus/species Coloradactria frigida, a moth with females that don't fly- they scurry around on the ground like a spider or silverfish...

lepscience.com/wp-content/u...

@inaturalist.bsky.social observations helped us locate populations!
This female moth cannot fly. She has wings, but they are not fully developed (called brachypterous). Females of this species require warm bare ground and stubby grass to be active during their late October-late November adult emergence. Currently known habitats are regularly mowed. Before the evolution of lawn mowers, we speculate that their specialized habitat was maintained by grazing and movements of large mammals such as bison, pronghorn, elk, deer, and prairie dogs. Females lay 250-400 eggs near the bases of highly disturbed Sand Dropseed grass. When larvae eclose in the spring, they immediately burrow down into bases of the grass clumps, and they apparently develop underground feeding on the roots of Sand Dropseed. While described from and currently only known from Colorado, we suspect this species will be found to occur elsewhere once targeted searches are conducted. Perhaps additional species in this genus will be found? Unidentified observations at iNaturalist helped us find additional populations once we knew what to look for. Several males and one female were found there, as cited in the paper linked in this post. They are now identified at iNaturalist as Coloradactria frigida. This male moth spends all of this time looking for females in highly disturbed (= mowed, trampled) patches of Sand Dropseed grass. The late October to late November flight time of this moth is unusually late for its known habitats in Colorado. The other moth that is common during this period is the geometrid Alsophila pometaria, which also has flightless females. Why do late-season moths evolve flightless females? We talk about this near the end of our paper linked in this post.
June 16, 2025 at 6:49 PM
andybugguy.bsky.social
Oh to be a moth that cannot fly...

Meet the newly described genus/species Coloradactria frigida, a moth with females that don't fly- they scurry around on the ground like a spider or silverfish...

lepscience.com/wp-content/u...

@inaturalist.bsky.social observations helped us locate populations!
This female moth cannot fly. She has wings, but they are not fully developed (called brachypterous). Females of this species require warm bare ground and stubby grass to be active during their late October-late November adult emergence. Currently known habitats are regularly mowed. Before the evolution of lawn mowers, we speculate that their specialized habitat was maintained by grazing and movements of large mammals such as bison, pronghorn, elk, deer, and prairie dogs. Females lay 250-400 eggs near the bases of highly disturbed Sand Dropseed grass. When larvae eclose in the spring, they immediately burrow down into bases of the grass clumps, and they apparently develop underground feeding on the roots of Sand Dropseed. While described from and currently only known from Colorado, we suspect this species will be found to occur elsewhere once targeted searches are conducted. Perhaps additional species in this genus will be found? Unidentified observations at iNaturalist helped us find additional populations once we knew what to look for. Several males and one female were found there, as cited in the paper linked in this post. They are now identified at iNaturalist as Coloradactria frigida. This male moth spends all of this time looking for females in highly disturbed (= mowed, trampled) patches of Sand Dropseed grass. The late October to late November flight time of this moth is unusually late for its known habitats in Colorado. The other moth that is common during this period is the geometrid Alsophila pometaria, which also has flightless females. Why do late-season moths evolve flightless females? We talk about this near the end of our paper linked in this post.
June 16, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
meganbarkdull.bsky.social
I'm thrilled to announce that the Entomology department at the NHMLAC is hiring a full-time collections manager! 🪰🐜🕸️🦋 I'm biased, but the museum is a great place to work, and our department is full of fun, thoughtful people. Job description and information for applying are here:

shorturl.at/iRqOB
Recruitment
workforcenow.adp.com
May 16, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
tjalamont.bsky.social
Glover's silk moth (Hyalophora gloveri), Pryor Mountains, Montana. This is a male, told by the large, feathery antennae. These moths don't feed as adults, and only live about a week, just long enough to reproduce. Phone pic from last weekend. 🐙🌿
A photo, vertical orientation, of a large, vibrant moth perched on green sagebrush in the lower part of the frame, with rugged hoodoo rock formations, junipers, and blue sky in the background. The moth has its wings open, showing a red body with white banding, and wings that are patterned with red, browns, yellows, and tans, and eyespots on the outer tips of the forewings.
May 13, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
crevicedwelling.bsky.social
while flipping rotten logs for Bimastos earthworms, I found another wood-eating “worm”: Scolecocampa liburna, the deadwood borer! this is an erebid moth and unlike the leaf-munching larvae you might associate with Lepidoptera these caterpillars eat rotten wood
a large pale gray grub with sparse bristles and a black head
May 4, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
andybugguy.bsky.social
robberfly- 1
wasp- 0
Happy #worldrobberflyday everyone!
November 23, 2024 at 5:23 AM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
andybugguy.bsky.social
Mallophora bomboides is called the 'bee killer' because, well, you get the idea...
#worldrobberflyday
November 23, 2024 at 5:16 AM
andybugguy.bsky.social
Check out this incredible bilateral gynandromorph moth my friend found in Japan! The left side is female, right side male. Look at those two completely different antennae, and different hindwing shapes!
paw2061.bsky.social ＰＡＷ @paw2061.bsky.social · Apr 23
@andybugguy.bsky.social

It's been a long time.
I came from X to tell you my recent experience.
I found a awesome Luna moth last friday.
This must be Actias aliena,
and I think this is bilateral gynandromorph.
How about it ?
April 23, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
entcollnet.bsky.social
📢 JOB KLAXON!

The Yale Peabody Museum is hiring a permanent, full-time Museum Assistant in #Entomology 🦋

Full details & how to apply: sjobs.brassring.com/TGnewUI/Sear...

#EntoJobs #InsectCollections
Museum Assistant 2 - Yale University - Job Details
Job Details: A job opportunity at Yale University
sjobs.brassring.com
April 15, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
bertonemyia.bsky.social
Monkey slug? Hag moth caterpillar? Both phenomenal names.

But I ❤️ the genus name most: Phobetron. Sounds like a malevolent transformer or a giant alien space television.

These caterpillars have fleshy deciduous appendages (this one lost a few) & stinging hairs. Watch out! ☣️☠️

North Carolina, USA
A light brown caterpillar with a few random large, fuzzy, fleshy, tentacle-like projections coming out of the body, sits on a green leaf on a black background. A light brown caterpillar with a few random large, fuzzy, fleshy, tentacle-like projections coming out of the body, sits on a green leaf. A light brown caterpillar with a few random large, fuzzy, fleshy, tentacle-like projections coming out of the body, sits on a green leaf. This is a side view showing spiny tubercles containing stinging hairs. A shot of this slug moth caterpillar showing the slug-like underside. The large brown fleshy protuberances can be seen above, but the underside is bright yellow and slimy looking. You can also see the amber colored head at one end.
April 5, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by Andrew Warren
mikemelton.bsky.social
Such a wonderful butterfly, the Julia Orangetip (Anthocharis julia) yesterday along the Colombia Gorge, Washington

#butterflies #bugsky #nature
A butterfly with white wings featuring bold black markings and bright orange tips rests on a bed of dried leaves. Its delicate, fuzzy black body contrasts with the smooth texture of its wings. The butterfly’s slender antennae extend outward, and its legs are barely visible as it clings to the leaf. The background consists of earthy tones, with twigs and leaves scattered throughout.
April 2, 2025 at 1:31 PM
andybugguy.bsky.social
I stumbled upon this most extremely perfect Mountain Ball Cactus last week, and realized it would be rude not to share this incredible beauty with you!

Pediocactus simpsonii
Douglas County, Colorado, USA
The Mountain Ball Cactus is widespread in Colorado at elevations above 6000'. They bloom very early in the spring. This one, with bright pink and yellow flowers, was found on March 28, 2025, east of Castle Rock, Douglas County, Colorado. These cactus don't usually bloom quite this early in the season, but we had very warm weather in late March. Spring is here!
April 1, 2025 at 9:56 PM
andybugguy.bsky.social
Hi Everyone! Been silent here lately as Dad passed away last month. There has been plenty to keep me busy. Will try to reingage soon!
March 25, 2025 at 10:21 PM
andybugguy.bsky.social
There is no rational justification for listing the butterfly Euchloe ausonides (the 'Large Marble") as Endangered/Threatened in the USA. The current effort by the Xerces Society (@xercessociety.bsky.social) to list them is complete nonsense, as we explain here:

www.regulations.gov/comment/FWS-...
Regulations.gov
www.regulations.gov
March 7, 2025 at 11:55 AM
andybugguy.bsky.social
From north Africa and Europe to Siberia and North America, The Swallowtail thrills and inspires everyone who is lucky enough to see it!

Papilio machaon aliaska
Brooks Range, North Slope, Alaska, USA
Yellow and black butterfly with blue and red spots on the hindwing, basking on the arctic tundra of Alaska's North Slope. Papilio machaon is called "The Swallowtail" in Britain, where it is the only resident swallowtail species. In North America, it is usually called the Old World Swallowtail.
January 31, 2025 at 4:04 PM