Sometimes a moth is more than it seems.
I looked twice at this moth photo I was uploading to #iNaturalist. There was an orange spot on one wing. A parasitic mite?
No! It's a globular springtail!
I'm not sure if it hitched a ride into the moth light on this moth or came in on another insect.
springtail: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/341756456
moth: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/341756462
Surprisingly, a springtail expert on iNaturalist has suggested a species ID for this springtail. I wasn't expecting it to be able to be identified to that detail, but it certainly matches the description. It looks like it's *Bourletiella arvalis*.
That makes the springtail a lot more interesting than the moth it's on.
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (#GBIF) has 334 observations of the moth species (178 of which are from iNaturalist).
GBIF has only 16 observations of this springtail species from New Zealand. If confirmed, my little hitch-hiker here will be the 17th.
@colinburgess @stojg Ah, that insane photo. I've seen that before. I expect that weasel was probably about as freaked out as the woodpecker.
Here's another moth hitch-hiker from the Boyle where I found my springtail. We often get pseudoscorpions riding in on the moths.
This moth had the misfortune of having a pseudoscorpion hanging onto its face.
Jon Sullivan
stojg
Colin Burgess