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Digital Guide to Moth Identification


Bob Belmont's

Geometridae of North America

Photographs © 2005 by Bob Belmont




Sicya morsicaria:   An Outstanding Example of Variation

Sicya morsicaria is a highly variable geometrid species with a wide range of markings found across its range. Literally every specimen differs slightly from the next, but by viewing all of these moths at once, one can get a feel for the entire range of variation. Imagine having only the first and last specimens in your collection as. You might think that you have two different but closely related species. In fact, the specimens from Arizona and New Mexico are generally smaller in size than California specimens and could represent one or two new species if the genitalia, food plants, larval life history and /or DNA prove to be completely different from the California representatives in this group.

  6915 -- Sicya morsicaria females
AZ
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
  6915 -- Sicya morsicaria males
AZ
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
CA
 
NM
 
NM
 
 
 
 
 
  21-Example Cline of Variation Throughout Range
female - AZ
 
male - CA
 
male - CA
 
female - CA
 
male - CA
 
female - CA
 
female - CA
 
male - CA
 
male - CA
 
male - CA
 
female - CA
 
male - CA
 
male - CA
 
male - CA
 
male - CA
 
female - CA
 
male - CA
 
male - NM
 
male - NM
 
female - CA
 







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BobBelmont/450/SicyaVariation.shtml -- 02/25/2005