Occasionally here at Player2.net.au we will play something that deserves your attention but probably doesn’t need a full review written for it. Be it DLC for the latest AAA title, a little indie game or even an Android/iOS title. We play these titles for a blockbusting amount of time (2 – 5 hours) and report back to you the reader on what we found. So grab your popcorn and settle in for the latest episode of Blockbuster Gaming.
Space Moth Dx – Blockbuster Gaming
Type material examined. – ENGLAND: 1 male, 1CC Games, 23.i.2016, coll. J. Ensing and D. Reaney, attracted to PC. Specimen in Steam.
Appearance. – Face light tan, irregularly marked with fuscous; medial and frontal sclerite entirely fuscous; frons with dark spots; dorsal surface of thorax blue with large yellow shining spot, thorax with fuscous to black lateral markings; legs with all femora fuscous, fore and mid tibiae blue, hind tibiae fuscous to black; wings homoneurous with amplexiform coupling; forewing with dark band over costal margin; broad transverse dark bands across basal, discal, postdiscal and submarginal margins; medial area of forewing pale yellow tint which becomes pink at cubital area; hindwing pink with broad transverse dark bands across basal, discal, postdiscal and submarginal margins; abdomen terga 1-5 blue with dark lateral markings.
Distribution. –
Type locality: Arcade mode
Previously recorded: Type locality, plus Practice mode and DX mode
Remarks. –
Space Moth DX shares colour characteristics with Hyles lineata and Hyles euphorbiae (Linnaeus, 1758) and is differentiated by a large yellow shining spot and the ability to shoot lasers at enemies if irritated. A soul drain ability is produced by expelling air from its proboscis, and often accompanies its attack with flashing the yellow shining spot on its thorax in a further attempt to deter predators. Space Moth DX has a short life span due to it being easily threatened by predators such as spiders, butterflies, beetles and moths. Its weak thorax is the main target of these predators. The species’ amplexiform wing coupling improves the aerodynamic efficiency of flight of the species, facilitating the ability to dodge attacks swiftly. In order to increase its life span and ensure best chance of reproduction, it is also able to utilise an auto-bomb system if it is confronted by significantly powerful predators early in its life cycle. If an attack is fatal, the moth will return to its most recent “safe spot” to spawn another space moth – the transition through larval and pupal stages surprisingly instantaneous.
Space Moth DX is commonly observed in bullet-hell and shoot-em-up environments. These environments facilitate frequent attacks to the species, and challenge stronger space moths to survive. The type locality, Arcade Mode, is the most commonly observed distribution of the species. Entomologists have utilised “arrows” or “wasd” traps to examine the species more closely, with both methods of capture being easy to implement. It has also been occasionally sighted in DX Mode, but the species experiences considerable and constant threats in this terrain. Both Arcade Mode and DX Mode habitats seems perfectly suited to Space Moth DX, with bright colours that complement and even sometimes camouflage the species. Field notes from other collectors comment on the significance of auditory ambience to the environment, which is considered more “relaxing” than other bullet-hell habitats.
A common interpretation of the species’ perpetual movement and need to confront predators is that the species may have originated on the Moon rather than Earth. While this cannot be conclusively proven by this author, she will remark that her observations of the species beyond taxonomic identification have suggested that there may be some validity to this claim. While the collection and study of other insects may feel like an empty experience, this is one species with fascinating taxonomic characters, behaviours, and engagement with its habitat. This challenges experts and beginners in our field to develop skills of interacting with the species and its environment to collect additional data, with the potential for considerable further research of the species.
Sarah Ellen
