In late September, Dr. Janet Mihuc found a state record moth on campus at the light on the Forestry cabin. The moth is an inchworm called the Boreal Pine Looper (Nepytia pellucidaria) and it has not be documented in the state since before 1900.
The state entomologist verified that it was a state record.
Mihuc provided living specimens of the moth from our campus to the state entomologist in Albany. He is a lepidopterist who specializes in caterpillars. The female moths provided to him laid eggs and he will be overwintering the eggs so that he can raise the caterpillars. The state entomologist, Dr. Tim McCabe, is the author of “Atlas of Adirondack Caterpillars” and other publications.