My name is Tucker Cooley. I’m a sixteen year-old entomologist and wildlife photographer in Morgantown, WV, with a consuming passion for butterflies, moths, and their caterpillars. I recently had the great privilege of publishing a field guide to the slug moths and caterpillars (Limacodidae), my main group of interest, in West Virginia through the U.S. Forest Service. You may view it here if interested: https://www.fs.usda.gov/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/FHAAST-2019-06-Field-Guide-Slug-Moths-WV.pdf.

This family has been a highly rewarding and enjoyable one to work with: named for their slug-like locomotion, slug caterpillars occur in nearly every imaginable color (two species in West Virginia have nearly every color of the rainbow on them at the same time!) and a host of shapes and forms throughout their known range. There are over 1,600 species worldwide, roughly 20 of which exist in West Virginia and/or surrounding states. I’ve ID’ed slug moths throughout the US, Canada, and Europe (starting to move into Mexico. Central America, and Australia as of last fall) on iNat since 2021.

A couple years ago, I had the amazing privilege of being featured in Wonderful West Virginia, one of West Virginia’s leading magazines. I’m also an avid wildlife photographer with an emphasis on macrophotography of WV butterflies, moths, and other insects. Recently, I was able to rear the caterpillars of three poorly-known moth species, Scoparia biplagialis, Scoparia cinereomedia, and Eudonia heterosalis (all Scopariinae - not limacodids). None of these species have been previously reared or described as immatures, and I hope to publish a paper describing their morphology, biology, and life history in the coming months. Recently, I was given the 2024 WERF Student Award for my moth-related research.

I have been tremendously blessed to have had so many opportunities arise during my few short years as a scientist; however, I don’t believe my entomological interests would have ever gone very far without iNaturalist. I was introduced to iNat at the time my passion for butterflies and moths was just beginning to develop—from the very start, the ability to easily find photos of species around the globe, communicate with experts, and record personal observations so efficiently on the site amazed me… I can definitely say that our slug moth publication would have never come into fruition without iNat. Indeed, having the ability to quickly access SO much data and view hundreds of images for each species sped up the writing process considerably and eliminated the need to look at museum specimens in many cases.

Thus far in 2024, I have photographed three moth species which I believe to be state records for WV: (1) Caradrina clavipalpis (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/207997485), (2) Fascista bimaculella (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/212902915), and (3) Gabara subnivosella (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/225941869). If you are aware of any records for these in WV, certainly don't hesitate to inform me!

If you could use some help with any North American butterfly/moth-related observations, please feel free to tag me! I cannot guarantee an accurate species identification 100% of the time, but will certainly do my best to point you in the right direction or tag someone else who can make that species ID.

To God be the glory, great things He has done!

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." - Job 12:7-10

"He hath made everything beautiful in His time..." - Ecclesiastes 3:11

Email: mothbustertjc@hotmail.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tuckerjcooley/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tucker_cooley

Field Guide: https://www.fs.usda.gov/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/FHAAST-2019-06-Field-Guide-Slug-Moths-WV.pdf

Wonderful West Virginia article: https://wonderfulwv.com/the-moth-busters/

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