Melese laodamia

Melese laodamia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Clade:Euarthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Superfamily:Noctuoidea
Family:Erebidae
Genus:Melese
Species: M. laodamia
Binomial name
Melese laodamia
(Druce, 1884)
Synonyms
  • Neritos laodamia Druce, 1884
  • Neritos cutheans Druce, 1896

Melese laodamia is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Herbert Druce in 1884. It is found in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad.[1]

This moth was used in the insignia of the RAF 360 squadron, whose task was to develop equipment and tactics to jam enemy radars during the Cold War period. The inspiration was the observation that Melese laodamia produces ultrasound when handled. The ultrasound was thought to jam the sonar of insectivorous bats.[2]

References

  1. Melese at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms
  2. A. D. Blest; T. S. Collett; J. D. Pye. "The Generation of Ultrasonic Signals by a New World Arctiid Moth". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B. 158: 196–207. doi:10.1098/rspb.1963.0042.


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