The species of moth has been named Tachystola mulliganae.
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Ealing resident Barbara Mulligan has discovered a new moth species native to Western Australia in west London.
A similar moth specimen has been sitting in the Natural History Museum’s collections, undocumented, since 1886. It was collected in Western Australia.
The newly identified species has been named Tachystola mulliganae in honour of Barbara Mulligan.
Barbara Mulligan celebrates the discovery. CREDIT: NHM
Ms Mulligan, an amateur moth collector, engaged experts, including Mark Sterling from the Natural History Museum, to identify the mysterious brown moth she found.
Mr Sterling, a scientific associate, emphasised the crucial role of citizen science, highlighting Barbara Mulligan as the only person in the UK to have found the new species.
After DNA analysis, researchers have confirmed it as a new species, native to Western Australia, previously unrecognised in the UK.
While the working theory suggests the moth may have travelled to the UK via imported plants, a research team is further investigating to understand how the species arrived in London.
The discovery showcases the power of modern DNA sequencing and data analysis, as detailed in the Entomologist’s Record and Journal of Variation.
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HeadlineNew moth species discovered by resident in West London
Short HeadlineNew moth species found in Ealing
StandfirstThe newly identified species has been named Tachystola mulliganae in honour of Barbara Mulligan who discovered it.
Ealing resident Barbara Mulligan has discovered a new moth species native to Western Australia in west London.
A similar moth specimen has been sitting in the Natural History Museum’s collections, undocumented, since 1886. It was collected in Western Australia.
The newly identified species has been named Tachystola mulliganae in honour of Barbara Mulligan.
Barbara Mulligan celebrates the discovery. CREDIT: NHM
Ms Mulligan, an amateur moth collector, engaged experts, including Mark Sterling from the Natural History Museum, to identify the mysterious brown moth she found.
Mr Sterling, a scientific associate, emphasised the crucial role of citizen science, highlighting Barbara Mulligan as the only person in the UK to have found the new species.
After DNA analysis, researchers have confirmed it as a new species, native to Western Australia, previously unrecognised in the UK.
While the working theory suggests the moth may have travelled to the UK via imported plants, a research team is further investigating to understand how the species arrived in London.
The discovery showcases the power of modern DNA sequencing and data analysis, as detailed in the Entomologist’s Record and Journal of Variation.
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