The Great Moth Caterpillar-hunt Challenge
Hermann & Doug VS Rest of South Africa

You are invited to participate in the greatest South African Lepidoptera challenge ever.

Great Prizes to be won.

Contribute to the upcoming Moths of South Africa- a field guide book.
Explore the wonderful world of Moths and their caterpillars.
Perhaps discover something new to science.

Rationale

•The ADU/Lepsoc Lepidoptera Virtual Museum and iSpot hosts images of hundreds of yet unidentified moth caterpillars submitted by the public.
Almost all were never reared to adulthood - so they probably will remain unidentified.
•Less than 10% of South Africa's moth caterpillars are known to science.
• We would like to include images of as many caterpillars as we can in the Moths of South Africa- a field guide book, for which we are currently preparing the manuscript. We are rearing as many as we can ourselves but we realize we need your help.

• Here's the challenge: We are challenging you, the rest of South Africa (as team SA), to find, photograph and rear to adulthood (from caterpillar to moth) more species of South African moths in the upcoming season than what the two of us can (conditions apply).
•If you (team SA)win, the contributing person who scored the most points will receive a R20 000.00 cash prize. The second prize winner will receive free accommodation and transport for two for a week to the Garden Route.
•If you (team SA) lose, the cash prize will go to the Brenton Blue Trust for Lepidoptera conservation. The second prize will then go to the person who scored the most points.

Contact Details:
Hermann Staude [email protected]
082 6519004
Doug Kroon [email protected]
082 3343001

WHAT TO DO, RULES & CONDITIONS

• Indicate your willingness to participate and willingness to abide by the rules of the challenge by simply sending a mail to that effect to Hermann.

• Participation means that you give us permission to use your submitted images and data for the Moths of South Africa- a field guide manuscript if we choose to do so. All contributions will be acknowledged in the book.

•We intend to collate and submit to Metamorphosis a paper containing all the information new to science resulting from this challenge. Participation means that you are willing to contribute your submitted data.

• The challenge will run from October 2012 till one week before the next Lepsoc conference in September 2013.

• The winner will be announced at the Lepsoc conference 2013.

• Submissions must have at least the following to be eligible: A usable image of the final instar larva; A clearly identifiable image of the resultant adult or preferably a voucher specimen of the adult; A clearly identifiable image of the host-plant or preferably a preserved herbarium specimen.

• Only South African moths (no butterflies) are eligible. If the larvae were found outside of South Africa and the species is confirmed to occur in South Africa, then it will also be eligible.

• You are allowed to submit records that you may have bred in the past provided that these are unpublished and that all other conditions are met.

• Points will be awarded as follows: Images of the full life history of all the early stages recorded for the first time for a species, 20 points; New final instar & pupa and new host plant for the first time for a species, 10 points; Final instar & pupa and new host plant, 8 points; New final instar & pupa, 6 points; Final instar & pupa we do not yet have for the book, 5 points; final instar & pupa we already have or which has already been submitted, 1 point.

• Regular updates will be given to participants during the season via e-mail and other media.

• A workshop/s will be held on how to rear moth caterpillars to adults.

• New rules and conditions may be added if issues not mentioned here emerge.

POSTER http://ispot.org.za/node/177729

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