Eudocima smaragdipicta
Fruit piercing moth
Eudocima smaragdipicta
Fruit piercing moth
Eudocima is a genus of moths of the family Erebidae with numerous tropical species.
The genus was first categorised by Gustaf Johan Billberg in 1820, and species currently in the genus have been placed under a range of other genera in the past.
Adult moths in the genus are known for puncturing and feeding on the juices of fruits, because of which they are considered as pests by horticulturists.
Eudocima smaragdipicta is a species of moth within the Erebidae family, commonly known as a fruit-piercing moth. This is an uncommon lowland forest species, though with one record from 1000m on G. Mulu.
Eudocima smaragdipicta is known for its green markings, particularly on the forewings, with some having a violet iridescence.
The larvae of this species has been recorded feeding on host plant Fibraurea Menispermaceae.
(Robinson et al., 2001)
It was first described by Francis Walker in 1857. Geographical range of this species E. smaragdipicta can be found in Borneo, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
This above species was shot at home and has a length of 2inch / 5.08cm
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Tribe : Ophiderini
Genus : Eudocima
Billberg, 1820
Species : Eudocima smaragdipicta
Tridrepana fulvata
Hooktip moth
OUTR : 28-02-2025
Hooktip Moth Tridrepana is a genus of moths belonging to the subfamily Drepaninae.
The Drepanidae are a family of moths with about 660 species described worldwide. They are generally divided in three subfamilies which share the same type of hearing organ.
Thyatirinae, previously often placed in their own family, bear a superficial resemblance to Noctuidae. Many species in the drepanid family have a distinctively hook-shaped apex to the fore wing, leading to their common name of hook-tips.
Tridrepana fulvata Hooktip Moth is a moth in the family Drepanidae. This is a bright yellow species with rufous shading restricted to fine, irregular fasciae and a conspicuous patch just posterior to the white forewing discal spots. This is a common species of lowland forest moth.
The wingspan is 30–38 mm for males and 32.5–45 mm for females. The larvae feed on Nephelium species.
Nephelium is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae native to southeastern Asia.
They are evergreen trees with pinnately compound leaves, and edible drupaceous fruit, one species,
N. lappaceum (rambutan) is commercially important for its fruit. The genus is closely related to Litchi and
Dimocarpus.
Tridrepana fulvata was described by Snellen in 1876. It is found in China, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Drepanidae
Genus : Tridrepana
Species : T. fulvata
Binomial name : Tridrepana fulvata
Snellen, 1876
Synonyms :
Drepana fulvata Snellen, 1876
Platypteryx fulvata
Enpinanga borneensis
Hawk moth
T15 : 31-13-2024
The final instar larva of Enpinanga borneensis.
T15 : 12-12-24
Enpinanga is a genus of moths in the family Sphingidae first described by Walter Rothschild and Karl Jordan in 1903.
Enpinanga borneensis is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia (Peninsular, Sarawak), Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan) and the Philippines (Palawan).
Adults are strongly sexually dimorphic. Larvae have been recorded feeding on Dillenia (such as Dillenia suffruticosa in Singapore) and Tetracera species.
The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species.
It is best represented in the tropics, but species are found in every region. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their agile and sustained flying ability, similar enough to that of hummingbirds as to be reliably mistaken for them.
Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight. The family was named by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802.
Sphingids have been studied for their flying ability, especially their ability to move rapidly from side to side while hovering, called "swing-hovering" or "side-slipping".
This is thought to have evolved to deal with ambush predators that lie in wait in flowers. Sphingids are some of the faster flying insects; some are capable of flying at over 5.3 m/s (19 km/h).
They have wingspans from 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) to over 10 cm (4 in). Sphingid's antennae are generally not very feathery, even in males. They lack tympanal organs.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Sphingidae
Genus : Enpinanga
Species : E. borneensis
Binomial name : Enpinanga borneensis
Butler, 1879
Synonyms :
Angonyx borneensis Butler, 1879
Daphnis labuana Rothschild, 1895
Spodoptera picta
Adult moth of lily caterpillar
Ulu Sembawang : 28-10-24
Spodoptera is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae erected by Achille Guenée in 1852.
Many are known as pest insects. The larvae are sometimes called armyworms. The roughly thirty species are distributed across six continents.
Spodoptera picta, the lily caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was described by Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville in 1838.
It is found from India, South-east Asia and Japan through Indonesia and the western part of South Pacific ocean to Fiji.
It is generally an ochreous-white moth. The head and thorax are suffused with pinkish red. The forewings have some red on their costal base.
There are numerous ill-defined waved black lines present between the base and antemedial line. Orbicular and claviform consisting black rings.
A medial pinkish red band, wide at costa narrowing to inner margin. The reniform with ochreous and black outlines and red center.
The postmedial double waved lines are filled in with ochreous and highly excurved beyond the cell. Some black dashes can be seen on reddish patches beyond it. Hindwings semi-hyaline white. The wingspan is about 40 mm.
Caterpillars have smooth skin and are pale grey with a series of longitudinal black lines. Mesothorax also has dark patches with last abdominal segment. With development, central dorsal line become yellowish.
The larvae feed on Crinum asiaticum, Crinum pedunculatum, Clivia miniata, Hymenocallis littoralis, and Hippeastrum species.
They bore into the leaves and down into the crown of the bulb , eggs are laid on lily plants in a mass on the underside of a foodplant leaf and covered in pale brown hairs. The mass has a width of about 7 mm.
The caterpillar pupates in leaf litter. Pupation takes place under ground in an earthen cocoon.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Noctuidae
Genus : Spodoptera
Species : S. picta
Binomial name : Spodoptera picta
Guérin-Méneville, 1838
Synonyms :
Noctua picta Guérin-Méneville, [1838]
Calogramma picta
Phalaena festiva Donovan, 1805 (preocc. Phalaena festiva Cramer, 1775)
Polia picta Boisduval, 1832 (repl., preocc. Noctua picta Guérin-Méneville, [1831])
Utetheisa pulchelloides
heliotrope moth
Short from home : 12-10-24
Utetheisa pulchelloides, the heliotrope moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae.
It is found in the Indo-Australian region including Borneo, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Papua, Seychelles,
most of Australia, Tenerife and La Línea de la Concepción [Cádiz]. The species was first described by George Hampson in 1907.
In Singapore this probably is an introduce species by accidental thru import of plants. Moths are major source of food for other wildlife including birds, reptiles, frogs, bats and other mammals.
Heliotrope Moths are active pollinators in the home garden and improve biodiversity connectivity. This moth appears white when flying but at rest, a pattern of red and black spots is visible on the forewings.
The wingspan of the adult moth is 3 cm. The hindwing is white with 2 black spots and an irregular black margin. Caterpillars are black with orange spots with broken cream lines and sparse grey hairs.
A pattern of red and black spots is visible on the forewings when the moth is at rest. Hindwing of male with no fold or glandular tuft on inner margin. Head and thorax yellowish.
Collar and tegula each with two black spots. Each thoracic segment with one each black spot. Third joint of palpi black and abdomen whitish. Forewing white with five interrupted scarlet bands with series of black spots between them.
A marginal series of black spots present. Hindwings are semi-diaphanous white, but some specimen with black on the discocellulars.
A very irregular black sub-marginal band, broad at apical area and between veins 1b and 3.
Larva dark grey with a dorsal white band and sub-dorsal series of red spots. Head yellow. It pupates in a loose cocoon that spun in the leaf litter on the ground below the food plant.
The larvae feed on Argusia argentea, Echium plantagineum, Heliotropium arborescens and Myosotis arvensis.
The species is frequent in open, disturbed and agricultural habitats in the lowlands.
The most frequently recorded host-plant is Messerschmidia (Robinson & Robinson), but the species has also been recorded from other Boraginaceae such as Bothriospermum (Miyata, 1983), Heliotropium (Sevastopulo, 1944, McFarland, 1979) Echium and Myosotis (McFarland, 1979).
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Subfamily : Arctiinae
Genus : Utetheisa
Species : U. pulchelloides
Binomial name : Utetheisa pulchelloides
Hampson, 1907
Synonyms :
Utetheisa idae Gates Clarke, 1940
Utetheisa dorsifumata Prout, 1920
Asota egens
Snouted Tiger Moths
T7 : 02-08-24
Asota is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae first described by Jacob Hübner in 1819.
Species are widely distributed throughout Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, the Malayan region and tropical parts of the Australian region.
Palpi upturned, where the second joint reaching the vertex of the head and the third joint is slender in variable lengths.
Antennae fasciculated (bundled) in males and ciliated (hairy) in females. Forewings with vein 5 from the lower angle of cell or just above it. Vein 6 from the upper angle or below it. Areole absent.
Hindwings with vein 5 from just above lower angle of cell. Veins 6 and 7 from the upper angle.
Snouted Tiger Moths, asota egens is a species of noctuoid moths in the family Erebidae. It is found from Japan and the Oriental tropics, east to New Guinea. The wingspan is 54–60 mm.
Asota egens is pure yellow overall body, but some individuals have a slightly brownish color. The lower body has several large black spots. At the base of the upper side of forewings there are small black spots.
Subspecies : Asota egens egens (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Peninsula Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam)
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Genus : Asota
Species : A. egens
Binomial name : Asota egens
Subspecies : Asota egens egens
Walker, 1854
Fascellina chromataria
geometer moth
T15 : 02-08-24
The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies.
Many geometrids have slender abdomens and broad wings which are usually held flat with the hindwings visible. As such, they appear rather butterfly-like, but in most respects they are typical moths.
The majority fly at night. They possess a frenulum to link the wings, and the antennae of the males are often feathered.
They tend to blend into the background, often with intricate, wavy patterns on their wings. In some species, females have reduced wings.
Fascellina chromataria is a moth in the family Geometridae described by Francis Walker in 1860. It is found in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Singapore.
The wingspan of the male is 38 mm. Forewings with outer and inner margins excised towards outer angle.
Hindwings with the costa and apex more or less truncate and excised. Cilia non-crenulate. Male has deep reddish-brown body with an olive shade and slightly suffused with purplish grey.
Wings with dark striae. Forewings with grey costa. There is an oblique antemedial line angled below the costa and a yellow spot at end of the cell often with a hyaline center.
Traces of a postmedial line can be seen. A curved and waved purplish-grey submarginal line present angled below costa, and on the hindwings becoming postmedial.
Ventral side of forewings with yellow basal half, brown outer area, bright reddish brown inside the postmedial line. This postmedial line is prominent, angled and purple, or with a quadrate sinus below costa and often waved towards inner margin.
Hindwings yellow, suffused and striated with rufous outer area. There is an indistinct postmedial and curved crenulate submarginal line present. Wingspan of the female is 44 mm.
Female much similar to male, but differs in much red in color. Larva purplish black with irregular purple-red markings in the thoracic segments. Head cleft and produced to two papillae. The larvae have been recorded feeding on Lindera, Cinnamomum, Machilus and Illicium species.
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Geometridae
Genus : Fascellina
Species : F. chromataria
Binomial name : Fascellina chromataria
Walker, 1860
Bastilla fulvotaenia
Bastilla is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was described by Charles Swinhoe in 1918.
Most species in the genus were formerly placed in the genus Dysgonia.
Bastilla fulvotaenia is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from the Indian subregion and Sri Lanka, Taiwan to Lombok, Seram and Buru. Adult is a fruit-piercer.
Its wingspan is about 70–80 mm. Males with a cleft running the whole length of the mid-tibia and containing a mass of flocculent scales.
Body reddish brown. Forewings with purplish suffused medial band and postmedial line dark throughout, and with an indistinct dentate line beyond it.
Hindwings with a medial orange band, which is wide towards costa. The larvae feed on Glochidion species.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Genus:Bastilla
Species : B. fulvotaenia
Binomial name : Bastilla fulvotaenia
Guenée, 1852
Cyclosia papilionaris
Larvae of the Drury’s jewel moth
T15 : 30-6-24
The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions.
Some of the 1000 or so species are commonly known as burnet or forester moths, often qualified by the number of spots, although other families also have 'foresters'. They are also sometimes called smoky moths.
Larvae are stout and may be flattened. A fleshy extension of the thorax covers the head. Most feed on herbaceous plants, but some are tree feeders.
Larvae in two subfamilies, Chalcosiinae and Zygaeninae, have cavities in which they store the cyanide, and can excrete it as defensive droplets.
Zygaenid moths are typically day flying with a slow, fluttering flight, and with rather clubbed antennae.
They generally have a metallic sheen and often prominent spots of red or yellow. The bright colours are a warning to predators that the moths are distasteful - they contain hydrogen cyanide (HCN) throughout all stages of their life cycle.
Unlike most insects with such toxins, they obtain glucosides from the plants they utilize so that HCN can be used as a defence.
However, they are capable of making HCN themselves, and when in an environment poor in cyanide-producing plants, synthesize it themselves. They form mimicry complexes based on these toxins.
Cyclosia is a genus of zygaenid moth that has a mimicry complex with the milkweed butterfly.
Cyclosia papilionaris caterpillar, cyclosia papilionaris, Drury's jewel, is a moth in the family Zygaenidae.
It was described by Dru Drury in 1773. It is found from Thailand to southern China and Singapore. It is also found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
The larvae of Drury’s jewel moth are caterpillars that feed mainly on the leaves of Aporosa dioica (Euphorbiaceae) and other host plants, undergoing four instars over about 20 days under optimal conditions.
Drury’s jewel larvae occur in rainforest and humid deciduous forest habitats from sea level to ~1,000 m altitude. They are part of the Chalcosiinae subfamily of Zygaenidae, and their life cycle is tied to the availability of host plants in these habitats.
Drury’s jewel moth larvae are leaf‑feeding caterpillars on Aporosa dioica and related plants, with a four‑instar larval stage lasting about three weeks, followed by a leaf‑attached pupal stage, and are notable for both their ecological role and susceptibility to parasitoids
Larvae of the Drury’s jewel moth (cyclosia papilionaris) habitat consists of rainforests and humid deciduous forests at altitudes up to 1,000 meters. Interestingly the larva is able to change its body colour by itself during the photo shoot, probably it is due to the light shine after some times that mades it changes its body colour from turquoise blue to purple
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Zygaenidae
Genus : Cyclosia
Species : C. papilionaris
Binomial name : Cyclosia papilionaris
Drury, 1773
Chrysocraspeda dipyramida
geomter moth
T7 PL : 26-6-24
The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies.
Geometridae is a very large family, containing around 23,000 described species, over 1400 species from six subfamilies are indigenous to North America alone.
A well-known member is the peppered moth, Biston betularia, which has been the subject of numerous studies in population genetics. Several other geometer moths are notorious pests.
Many geometrids have slender abdomens and broad wings which are usually held flat with the hindwings visible. As such, they appear rather butterfly-like, but in most respects they are typical moths.
The majority fly at night. They possess a frenulum to link the wings, and the antennae of the males are often feathered. They tend to blend into the background, often with intricate, wavy patterns on their wings.
In some species, females have reduced wings (e.g. winter moth and fall cankerworm). Most are of moderate size, about 3 cm (1.2 in) in wingspan, but a range of sizes occur, from 10–50 mm (0.39–1.97 in), and a few (e.g., Dysphania species) reach an even larger size.
They have distinctive paired tympanal organs at the base of the abdomen (these are absent in flightless females).
Chrysocraspeda is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae described by Charles Swinhoe in 1893.
C. dipyramida is a species of geometer moths belonging to the family Geometridae.
Diagnosis : The ground colour is pale yellow, almost completely shaded by grey (females) or stippled red with a red border in a Plutodes-like pattern.
The hindwing margin is angled centrally, unlike in other species sharing this pattern, and there is an arcuate fine, dark, discal line, given that some other species in the genus are sexually dimorphic, and the sexes share the angled hindwing margin and general shape of the dark shading. The holotype is female.
Habitat preference. This is a lowland species
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Geometridae
Tribe : Cosymbiini
Genus : Chrysocraspeda
C. Swinhoe, 1893
Species : Chrysocraspeda dipyramida
Prout, 1918
Synonyms :
Heteroctenis Prout, 1916
Chrysocraspeda Hampson, 1895
Chrysolene Warren, 1897
Ptochophyle Warren, 1896
Cyana perornata
T7 : June 24
The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups.
The family includes the underwings (Catocala), litter moths (Herminiinae), tiger, lichen, and wasp moths (Arctiinae), tussock moths (Lymantriinae), including the arctic woolly bear moth (Gynaephora groenlandica), fruit-piercing moths (Calpinae and others), micronoctuoid moths (Micronoctuini), snout moths (Hypeninae), and zales, though many of these common names can also refer to moths outside the Erebidae (for example, crambid snout moths).
Some of the erebid moths are called owlets.
Cyana is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae. Species are well distributed in Africa, Madagascar, China, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Singapore. The genus was erected by Francis Walker in 1854.
The habitat consists of lowland forests, extending more weakly into lower montane forests.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Subfamily : Arctiinae
Subtribe : Nudariina
Genus : Cyana
Species : Cyana perornata
Walker, 1854
Erebus hieroglyphica
Owlet moth
Erebus is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae.
The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups.
Noctuoidea is the superfamily of noctuid (Latin "night owl") or "owlet" moths, and has more than 70,000 described species, the largest number of any Lepidopteran superfamily.
Its classification has not yet reached a satisfactory or stable state. Since the end of the 20th century, increasing availability of molecular phylogenetic data for this hugely successful radiation has led to several competing proposals for a taxonomic arrangement that correctly represents the relationships between the major lineages.
Erebus hieroglyphica is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found from the Oriental tropical countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Japan, China, Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Korea. The habitat consist of lowland forests.
Its wingspan is about 88 mm. Adults exhibit strong sexual dimorphism. They have been reported feeding on the juices of tropical fruit.
Male with vein 3 running to the functional apex of hindwing. The costal fold obsolete, and the small patch with gland. Male with veins 4 to 8 of hindwings moderately developed in the aborted costal area.
Body rich blackish brown. Forewings with a whorl-shaped black mark beyond end of cell, bilobed and expanding at head, where it is outlined with blue.
An oblique yellow bar runs from costa near apex, and very few show reaching outer margin.
Female has brown body with black stria. Forewings with white oblique bar. Both wings with traces of postmedial band of whitish marks and white spot on forewing above vein.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Genus : Erebus
Species : E. hieroglyphica
Binomial name : Erebus hieroglyphica
Drury, 1773
Synonyms :
Phalaena hieroglyphica Drury, 1773
Erebus hieroglyphicus
Argiva celebensis Hopffer, 1874
Phalaena hermonia Cramer, 1777
Bocana lunaris Walker, 1865
Phalaena mygdonia Cramer, 1777
Nyctipao tenebratus Prout, 1919
Noctua ulula Fabricius, 1775
Ambulyx liturata
violet hawk moth
The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as "hornworms"; it includes about 1,450 species.
It is best represented in the tropics, but species are found in every region. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their agile and sustained flying ability, similar enough to that of hummingbirds as to be reliably mistaken for them.
Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight. The family was named by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802.
Sphingids are some of the faster flying insects; some are capable of flying at over 5.3 m/s (19 km/h).[4] They have wingspans from 4 cm (1+1⁄2 in) to over 10 cm (4 in).
Ambulyx is a genus of moths in the family Sphingidae, described by Westwood in 1847.
Ambulyx liturata is a species of moth of the family Sphingidae first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1875.
It is found from Nepal, the north-eastern India states of Sikkim and Assam, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam,
Fujian and Hong Kong in China.
The wingspan is 106–134 mm. It is similar to Ambulyx maculifera, but can be distinguished by the absence of a subbasal costal patch on the forewing upperside.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Sphingidae
Genus : Ambulyx
Species : A. liturata
Binomial name : Ambulyx liturata
Butler, 1875
Synonyms :
Ambulyx rhodoptera Butler, 1875
Oxydai agusta
Shaded Hooktip moth
Oxydia is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae first described by Achille Guenée in 1857.
The Shaded Hooktip (Oxydia augusta) is a species of geometrid moth in the family Geometridae, native to the Neotropics, characterised by its hooked forewing tip and forest‑associated habits.
Geometrid moths are generally nocturnal and rest with wings held flat or tent‑like. Larvae of many geometrids feed on foliage of trees and shrubs. For O. augusta, this likely means it inhabits shaded, forested habitats where its “hooktip” name reflects its wing shape rather than a specific ecological niche.
This species is a small to medium‑sized geometrid moth. The common name “Shaded Hooktip” refers to its wing shape and pattern, not to any leaf‑mimicry. The “hooktip” likely describes the curved apex of the forewing, and “shaded” refers to the muted coloration that may help it blend into shaded forest habitats.
While specific ecological details are limited in the provided data, geometrids of this genus are typically found in forest habitats, often in shaded areas where their wing patterns may provide camouflage from predators.
However, O. augusta is not known to mimic leaves, unlike some other moth species that evolve leaf‑like wing patterns.
The Shaded Hooktip is a small, forest‑dwelling geometrid moth from the Neotropics, recognised by its hooked forewing tip and association with shaded habitat.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Geometridae
Genus : Oxydia
Guenée, 1857
Species : Oxydia augusta
Lygniodes endoleucus
Pulau Ubin : 13-4-24
Lygniodes is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae first described by Achille Guenée in 1852. The genus is restricted to the Asiatic tropics, east to Sulawesi and the Moluccas.
Palpi with second joint reaching vertex of head, and third joint moderate length.
Antennae simple. Thorax and abdomen smoothly scaled. Mid tibia spined and hind tibia slightly hairy. Forewings with arched costa, slightly produced and acute apex. Hindwings with very short cell. Vein 5 arise from near lower angle and vein 6 much curved.
Lygniodes endoleucus is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in India, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, India, China, Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi.
All species show sexual dimorphism of the type described for the only Bornean representative, differing in the colour and extent of the paler edging to the male distal margins, the male hindwing is usually more produced at the tornus, less rounded over the distal margin, and has the paler colour more broadly along the dorsum, particularly on the underside.
The black scales of the hindwing upperside are modified to give a velvety appearance, particularly over the distal half.
In the male abdomen, the eighth sternite is bilobed as mentioned in the tribal account, but the tergite is only half as wide, hastate in shape, with a less sclerotised central lacuna, and a pair of splayed apodemes at its anterior margin.
The valves of the genitalia are highly unusual, very broad over the basal half, with a massive hair-pencil at the exterior part of the base of the sacculus. The aedeagus vesica is moderately convolute and scobinate.
The female of the type species has genitalia as described for the tribe. The ductus is broad and sclerotised over the basal third. The base is very finely corrugated and rugose.
The genus is restricted to the Oriental tropics, extending to Sulawesi and the Moluccas (L. ochrifera Felder; Poole, 1989), but no further east.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Genus : Lygniodes
Species : L. endoleucus
Binomial name : Lygniodes endoleucus
Guérin-Méneville, 1844
Fascellina meligerys
T7 : 12-4-24
Fascellina is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae described by Francis Walker in 1860.
Its eyes are hairy. The palpi are stout and reach the vertex of the head, where the first joint is hairy and the third joint minute.
Antennae with cilia and bristles. Abdomen stout. Hind tibia not dilated. Forewings with arched costa towards apex.
Vein 3 from close to angle of cell and vein 5 from above middle of discocellulars. Vein 7 to 9 stalked from before upper angle. Veins 10 and 11 stalked and joined by bars to vein 12 and veins 8, 9. Hindwings with vein 3 from close to angle of cell.
Diagnosis :
The submarginals of both wings are irregular, irrorated pale grey, separating a leaden grey marginal zone from a green-tinged basal two-thirds.
The underside is deep yellow, the forewing with a narrow, pale discal spot edged in dark brown. The forewing tornus is not excavate, the dorsal margin straight; the hindwing margin is evenly curved.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Geometridae
Subfamily : Ennominae
Genus : Fascellina
Walker, 1860
Species : Fascellina meligerys
Prout, 1925
Synonyms :
Nysis Moore, 1867
Parotis marginata
OUTR : 6-4-24
Parotis is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. Grass moth, Parotis marginata is a species of moth of the family Crambidae.
It is known from south-east Asia, including India, Bangladesh and China, as well as Fiji, Japan and Australia, where it is known from the Northern Territory and Queensland.
The wingspan is about 30 mm. They are a deep green, with a crenulated brown line around the edges of each wing.
The larvae feed on Alstonia scholaris, Gardenia jasminoides and Tabernaemontana.
Young larvae feed on the flesh of the leaves leaving a skeleton of veins. Later instars have been found feeding on the bark. They are pale green with several raised black lumps on each segment, and a pale brown head.
They live in a shelter created from curled or joined leaves held with silk. Pupation takes place in this shelter.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Crambidae
Genus : Parotis
Species : P. marginata
Binomial name : Parotis marginata
Hampson, 1893
Anisoneura salebrosa
T7 : 22-3-24
Anisoneura is a genus of moths of the family Erebidae.
Anisoneura salebrosa is a moth of the family Noctuidae first described by Achille Guenée in 1852.
It is found in Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Sulawesi, the north-eastern part of the Himalayas (Nepal and India), Bangladesh, China, Japan and the Philippines.
This is a large, robust moth with bark‑like wing patterning. The forewings often show a paler brown patch at the centre of the postmedial area. The species is taxonomically close to A. aluco.
The species is frequent in lowland forest, including heath forest, and is generally found below 400 m elevation. Only one record exists above 400 m (1,618 m on Bukit Retak, Brunei)
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Noctuidae
Genus : Anisoneura
Species : A. salebrosa
Binomial name : Anisoneura salebrosa
Guenée, 1852
Hypopyra vespertilio
T7: 22-3-24
Hypopyra is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae.
Hypopyra vespertilio is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1787.
It is found in China, Korea, Honshu in Japan, India (Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal),
Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia,Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Java, Sumatra, Singapore and Sulawesi.
The wingspan is 74–90 mm in male and 72–104 mm in female.
Male has minutely fasciculate antennae, an erectile tuft of long hair from femur-tibial joint of forelegs.
Tibia and hind tarsi not fringed with long hair, nor the hindwings clothed with long woolly hair on ventral side.
The wings are grey suffused with slight fuscous brown. The forewings have the stigma usually reduced to spots or to two spots on discocellulars.
The antemedial line is excurved below the costa then oblique to the inner margin. There is a double postmedial line, angled below the costa.
The postmedial line is crenulate. The hindwings are fuscous brown with antemedial oblique lines.
The medial and submarginal lines are crenulate and the inner margin is crimson. The darkest form is vespertilio which has the male dark brown, the costal and outer areas of forewing suffused with grey and olive, the stigma most developed, female much paler and greyer. The adult has been recorded as fruit-piercer.
The larvae feed on Albizia, Acacia, Wisteria and possibly Camellia species. They are pale grey.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Genus : Hypopyra
Species : H. vespertilio
Binomial name : Hypopyra vespertilio
Fabricius, 1787
Nyctemera lacticinia
Tiger moths
Nyctemera is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae first described by Jacob Hübner in 1820.
The genus includes the species Nyctemera annulata and Nyctemera amica, which are closely related and are able to interbreed.
They are medium-sized moths, the adults having a wingspan of 35–45 millimetres (1.4–1.8 in). The wings are usually dark with lighter patches, while the body is often aposematically coloured to discourage birds and other visual predators from eating them.
Palpi porrectly upturned. Antennae bipectinate in both sexes, where branches short in females.
Forewing with vein 3 from before the angle of cell, vein 5 from above it and vein 6 from upper angle.
Vein 7 and 10 from short areole which is formed by the anastomosis of veins 8 and 9. Hindwings with vein 3 from before end of cell and vein 5 from angle or from above it. Veins 6 and 7 stalked or from upper angle. Vein 8 from before middle of all.
The slow-flying moths can often be seen feeding at flowers; it is common around its preferred food plants of the daisy family, for example groundsel (and other Senecio spp.), ragworts and Cineraria.
Nyctemera lacticinia, the common nyctemera, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1873. It is found in Japan, from the Oriental tropics of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar to Taiwan, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.
The wingspan is about 45 mm. Male absent a tuft of hair on the tibia of foreleg. Head, collar and thorax yellowish white and spotted with black.
Abdomen white where the extremity is yellowish. Three black spots on the first segment and slight black bands on the next sex above can be seen.
Two paired series of lateral black spots. Forewing hair-brownish. A broad white streak found on the base of inner margin. An oblique post-medial band of five white spots present.
Hindwings white with a broad marginal brown band with irregularly curved inner edge.
Larva dull reddish with a dorsal and two lateral series of radiating tufts of fine black hairs arising from black tubercles. Two long forwardly projecting tufts are present on first somite. Pupa reddish brown where rolled-up leaf. The larvae feed on Santalum species.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Subfamily : Arctiinae
Genus : Nyctemera
Species : N. lacticinia
Binomial name : Nyctemera lacticinia
Grote, 1873
Acraea terpsicore
Tawny coster
Caterpillar of Acraea terpsicore
Acraea is a genus of brush-footed butterflies (family Nymphalidae) of the subfamily Heliconiinae.
It seems to be highly paraphyletic and has long been used as a "wastebin taxon" to unite about 220 species of anatomically conservative Acraeini.
Some phylogenetic studies show that the genus Acraea is monophyletic if Bematistes and Neotropical Actinote are included (see Pierre & Bernaud, 2009).
Most species assembled here are restricted to the Afrotropical realm, but some are found in India, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
The eggs are laid in masses, the larvae are rather short, of almost equal thickness throughout, and possessing branched spines on each segment, young larvae group together on a protecting mass of silk; the pupa is slender, with a long abdomen, rather wide and angulated about the insertion of the wings, and suspended by the tail only.
A. horta, A. cabira, and A. terpsicore illustrate typical life histories. The food plants of Acraea caterpillars are usually Urticaceae or, like in most Heliconiinae, Passifloraceae.
Some feed on other plants, such as Fabaceae, "Flacourtiaceae", or Violaceae. Their preferred species contain cyanogenic glycosides, which make the larvae and adults poisonous to predators.
The aposematic coloration of the adults announces this, and some species are mimicked by less noxious butterflies. At least some "Acraea" are able to produce the toxins themselves. Their flight is slow and flapping.
Acraea terpsicore, the tawny coster, is a small, 53–64 millimetres (2.1–2.5 in), leathery-winged butterfly common in grassland and scrub habitats. It belongs to the Nymphalidae or brush-footed butterfly family. It has a weak fluttery flight. It is avoided by most insect predators.
This species and the yellow coster (Acraea issoria) are the only two Indian representatives of the
predominantly African tribe Acraeini.
It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Singapore and recently Australia.
Male upperside tawny : Forewing a transverse black spot in cell, and another irregular, oblique and broader at the discocellulars; a discal series of spots in interspaces 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10, and the apex and termen black.
The upper four spots of the discal series inclined obliquely outwards, the lower two obliquely inwards; the black edging to apex and termen narrowing posteriorly, but with slender linear projections inwards in the interspaces.
Hindwing: a basal series of four or five black spots with a similar spot beyond in middle of cell and a subcostal black spot above it, followed by a discal series of obscure blackish spots and a minute postdiscal black dot in interspaces 4 and 6 respectively; finally, a broad black terminal band medially traversed by a series of small spots of the ground colour.
Most of the macular black markings are obscure, being only the spots on the underside seen by the transparency of the wing membrane, the inner edge of the black terminal band crenulate.
Underside ground colour ochraceous yellow or a paler tawny yellow. Forewing: paling to whitish on the apex, with the black markings as on the upperside but somewhat blurred and diffuse.
Hindwing: the black spots and black terminal band as on the upperside, but the spots more clearly defined, none obscure; the series of spots traversing the black terminal margin very much larger and white - not tawny; the base of the wing black, separated from the basal transverse series of black spots by two or three large whitish spots.
Antennae black, head and thorax black spotted with ochraceous and white; abdomen anteriorly black, posteriorly ochraceous yellow with narrow transverse black lines; beneath, the palpi, thorax and abdomen ochraceous, the thorax spotted with ochraceous, the abdomen with a longitudinal line of black at base.
Female similar to that of the male. Upperside ground colour duller; the black spots on forewings and hindwings larger, the upper discal spots often coalescing and forming an irregular oblique short band; the black edging to apex and termen on the forewing and the black terminal band on the hindwing proportionately broader, the spots traversing the latter larger and whitish.
Underside ground colour much paler and duller markings as on the upperside and, as in the male, the spots on the hindwing better defined than on the upperside. Antennae, bead, thorax and abdomen as in the male. Wingspan of 53–64 mm.
This species does not fly high, but seems to keep within 3 m of the ground and tends to rest on vegetation in the regions of a meter off the ground.
Acraea terpsicore can be seen in abundance wherever its larval food plant (Passiflora species) is found. The adult tends to avoid dense undergrowth and shady areas, instead keeping to open spaces in all types of vegetation.
A.terpsicore the tawny coster is one of a group of butterflies where females feature a sphragis (copulatory plug) which is formed after a mating session. After males produce the spermatophore, they pass an additional gland secretion (a waxy substance) that spills out of the female's copulatory opening, forming a mating plug that hardens within a few hours for the purpose of preventing further matings.
Eggs are laid in batches of anywhere between 20 and 100. Eggs are yellow and slightly elongated and tall and display shallow transverse ribbing.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Nymphalidae
Genus : Acraea
Species : A. terpsicore
Binomial name : Acraea terpsicore
Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms :
Acraea violae (Fabricius, 1775)
Lymantriinae
Tussock moth caterpillars
Ulu Sebawang : 19-11-23
The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups.
The family includes the underwings (Catocala); litter moths (Herminiinae); tiger, lichen, and wasp moths (Arctiinae); tussock moths (Lymantriinae), including the arctic woolly bear moth (Gynaephora groenlandica); piercing moths (Calpinae and others); micronoctuoid moths (Micronoctuini); snout moths (Hypeninae); and zales, though many of these common names can also refer to moths outside the Erebidae (for example, crambid snout moths). Some of the erebid moths are called owlets.
The Lymantriinae (formerly called the Lymantriidae) are a subfamily of moths of the family Erebidae. The taxon was erected by George Hampson in 1893.
Many of its component species are referred to as "tussock moths" of one sort or another.
The caterpillar, or larval, stage of these species often has a distinctive appearance of alternating bristles and haired projections.
Many tussock moth caterpillars have urticating hairs (often hidden among longer, softer hairs), which can cause painful reactions if they come into contact with skin.
The subfamily Lymantriinae includes about 350 known genera and over 2,500 known species found
in every continent except Antarctica.
They are particularly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, India, Southeast Asia, and South America.
One estimate lists 258 species in Madagascar alone.
Apart from oceanic islands, notable places that do not host lymantriines include the Antilles and New Caledonia.
Adult moths of this subfamily do not feed. They usually have muted colours (browns and greys), although some are white, and tend to be very hairy.
Some females are flightless, and some have reduced wings. Usually, the females have a large tuft at the end of the abdomen. The males, at least, have tympanal organs.
They are mostly nocturnal, but Schaefer lists 20 confirmed diurnal species and 20 more likely diurnal species (based on reduced eye size).
The larvae are also hairy, often with hairs packed in tufts, and in many species the hairs break off very easily and are extremely irritating to the skin (especially members of the genus Euproctis). This highly effective defence serves the moth throughout its life cycle.
The hairs are incorporated into the cocoon. An emerging adult female of some species collects and stores the hairs at the tip of the abdomen and uses them to camouflage and protect the eggs as they are laid.
In other species, the eggs are covered by a froth that soon hardens or are camouflaged by material the female collects and sticks to them. In the larvae of some species, hairs are gathered in dense tufts along the back and this gives them the common name of tussocks or tussock moths.
Lymantria means "destroyer", and several species are important defoliators of forest trees, including the spongy moth Lymantria dispar, the Douglas-fir tussock moth Orgyia pseudotsugata, and the nun moth Lymantria monacha. They tend to have broader host plant ranges than most Lepidoptera. Most feed on trees and shrubs, but some are known from vines, herbs, grasses, and lichens.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Subfamily : Lymantriinae
Hampson, 1893
Diversity About 350 genera,
2,500–2,700+ species
Synonyms :
Lymantriidae Hampson, 1893
Hexamitoptera lawinda
Hexamitoptera is a monotypic moth genus in the family Erebidae. Its only species, Hexamitoptera lawinda, is found in Indonesia (Nias, Sumatra), Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo.
The habitat consists of lowland dipterocarp forests. Both the genus and the species were first described by Pagenstecher in 1885.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Genus : Hexamitoptera
(Pagenstecher, 1885)
Species : H. lawinda
Binomial name : Hexamitoptera lawinda
Pagenstecker, 1885
Meganoton nyctiphanes
Hawk moths
T7 : 25-9-23
The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonlycalled sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as "hornworms"; it includes about 1,450 species.
It is best represented in the tropics, but species are found in every region. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their agile and sustained flying ability, similar enough to that of hummingbirds as to be reliably mistaken for them.
Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight. The family was named by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802.
Sphingid's antennae are generally not very feathery, even in males. They lack tympanal organs, but members of the group Choerocampini have hearing organs on their heads.
They have a frenulum and retinaculum to join hindwings and forewings. The thorax, abdomen, and wings are densely covered in scales. Some sphingids have a rudimentary proboscis, but most have a very long one which is used to feed on nectar from flowers. Most are crepuscular or nocturnal, but some species fly during the day.
Both males and females are relatively long-lived (10 to 30 days). Prior to flight, most species shiver their flight muscles to warm them up, and, during flight, body temperatures may surpass 40 °C (104 °F).
Meganoton nyctiphanes, the dull double-bristled hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
It is known from Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Nicobar Islands, the Andaman Islands, south eastern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Sumatra, Indonesia and the Philippines (Palawan).
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Sphingidae
Genus : Meganoton
Species : M. nyctiphanes
Binomial name : Meganoton nyctiphanes
Walker, 1856
Chorodna complicataria
geometer moth
T15 : 18-8-23
The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae.
Chorodna is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae. One of its synonyms is Medasina.
Chorodna complicataria is a moth of the family Geometridae. A darker, less ochreous species than pallidularia, complicataria is readily distinguished by the prominent discal markings, that on the forewing being abnormally large.
It is found in Sundaland. This species is frequent in lowland dipterocarp forest.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Geometridae
Subfamily : Ennominae
Tribe : Boarmiini
Genus : Chorodna
Walker, 1860
Species : C. complicataria
Binomial name Chorodna complicataria
Walker, 1860
Eudocima cocalus
fruit piercing moth
T15 : 4-8-23
Eudocima is a genus of moths of the family Erebidae with numerous tropical species. The genus was first categorised by Gustaf Johan Billberg in 1820 and species currently in the genus have been placed under a range of other genera in the past.
Adult moths in the genus are known for puncturing and feeding on the juices of fruits of which they are considered as pests by horticulturists.
Palpi with second joint thickened and reaching vertex of head, and blunt naked third joint.
Antennae minutely ciliated in male. Metathorax have slight tufts. Abdomen clothed with coarse hair on dorsum. Tibia spineless and clothed with long hair.
Forewings with arched costa and acute apex. Inner margin lobed and with tufts of hair near base and at outer angle. Larva with four pairs of abdominal prolegs, where first pair rudimentary.
Eudocima cocalus, the cocalus fruit piercing moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in the north-eastern part of the Himalaya, to Sundaland and east to Queensland, Australia and the Solomons.
The wingspan is about 100 mm and the larvae feed on Cocculus species. The adults are a pest in lychee and carambola orchards. They pierce the fruit in order to suck the juice.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Genus : Eudocima
Species : E. cocalus
Binomial name : Eudocima cocalus
Cramer, 1777
Ischyja marapok
T7 : 1-8-23
The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other families of the Noctuoidea.
It was considered the largest family in Lepidoptera for a long time, but after regrouping Lymantriinae, Catocalinae and Calpinae within the family Erebidae, the latter holds this title now. Currently, Noctuidae is the second largest family in Noctuoidea, with about 1,089 genera and 11,772 species.
This classification is still contingent, as more changes continue to appear between Noctuidae and Erebidae.
Ischyja is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae erected by Jacob Hübner in 1823.
Palpi with second joint broad and rectangularly scaled, reaching vertex of head. Third joint long, naked and oblique.
Antennae thickened and fasciculate in male. Thorax and abdomen smoothly scaled. Tibia spineless. Fore tibia with a triangular tuft of hair. Mid-tibia slightly fringed. Hind tibia clothed with long hair.
Forewings with highly arched costa towards the apex, which is produced and acute. Outer margin obliquely curved. Hindwings with very short cell. Male with veins 2 to 4 running close together to near outer margin. Larva with four pairs of abdominal prolegs.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Noctuidae
Subfamily : Catocalinae
Genus : Ischyja
Species : Ischyja marapok
Hübner 1823
Dysphania transducta
the blue tiger moth
T7 : 1-8-23
Dysphania is a genus of colourful moths in the family Geometridae and typical of the tribe Dysphaniini, they are sometimes called 'false tiger moths' and are found in northeast Australia, Melanesia, and south, east and southeast Asia.
Many Geometrids have slender abdomens and broad wings which are usually held flat with the hindwings visible, they tend to blend in to the background, often with intricate, wavy patterns on their wings. In some species, females have reduced wings and are flightless.
As such they appear rather butterfly-like but in most respects they are typical moths: the majority fly at night, they possess a frenulum to link the wings and the antennae of the males are often feathered.
Most Dysphania are day flying, but there are also nocturnal species. With a typical wingspan of 50–85 millimetres (2.0–3.3 in), they are relatively large compared to many other members of this family.
Dysphania transducta the blue tiger moth is a species of insects with 25 observations. They are similar in appearance to the long blue tiger moth.
Geographical range : Burma, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Geometridae
Subfamily : Geometrinae
Genus : Dysphania
Hübner 1819
Species : Dysphania Transducta
Walker, 1861
Daphnis hypothous
Jade hawkmoth
T15 : 29-7-23
Daphnis is a genus of moths in the family Sphingidae first described by Jacob Hübner in 1819.
Daphnis hypothous, the jade hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae described by Pieter Cramer in 1780.
Chinese name :(臺灣): 白腰天蛾, 茜草白腰天蛾, 暗綠白腰天蛾
D. hypothous is known from Sri Lanka, southern and northern India, Nepal, Myanmar, southern China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia and probably an introduce species to Singapore
It is a rare vagrant to the Western Palaearctic realm. During the last hundred years a number have been discovered within the Middle East and one was even found in Scotland late in the 20th century but this was probably imported as a pupa with cargo.
The wingspan of Daphnis hypothous is 86–120 mm. It is a very fast flyer and is attracted to both sweet-smelling flowers and light. It differs from (Daphnis nerii the oleander hawk-moth or army green moth) in having the head and collar uniformly dark purplish brown. Thorax and first two abdominal segments are dark green with a white fringe to the first segment. Other abdominal segments are dark olive green with the streaks and spots as in D. nerii.
D. hypothous wings are similar to D. nerii but very much darker on both dorsal and ventral side. A white spot is present at the apex of forewing and at the end of cell of forewing ventral side.
Larva is green with yellow dots at its sides. There is a dark dorsal line, a subdorsal purple-red band, edged with yellow on thoracic somites and a blue ocellus on the third somite. Horn is purplish brown with white tubercles. Before changing to pupa, the larva becomes blotched with dark red.
Larvae have been recorded feeding on Rubiaceae species, including Cinchona, Wendlandia and Uncaria species in India. Most instars are green with a brown backward-curving tailhorn and a pair of white or red and yellow dorso-lateral stripes. Some instars have various coloured markings along the sides, including a blue eyespot on each side of the metathorax. The final instar is reddish brown.
Caterpillars can be found on Breonia, Cinchona, Ixora, Pavetta, Uncaria, Wendlandia and Alstonia plants.
Subspecies :
Daphnis hypothous hypothous (Indonesia including the Andaman Islands and Seram)
Daphnis hypothous crameri Eitschberger & Melichar, 2010 (South and South-East Asia)
Related species :
Daphnis nerii, white spot is absent at the apex of forewing.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Sphingidae
Genusb: Daphnis
Species : D. hypothous
Binomial nam : Daphnis hypothous
Cramer, 1780
Synonyms :
Sphinx hypothous Cramer, 1780
Ischyja manlia
Ischyja manlia is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae first described by Pieter Cramer in 1776.
It is found in the Indian subregion, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, China, Okinawa, Sundaland, Sulawesi, Korea, the southern Moluccas, Australia (Queensland) and Palau. Adults pierce the skin of fruit to suck the juice.
The wingspan of the male ranges from 80 to 100 mm and female with 96–112 mm.
In the male, the head and thorax are red brown. Abdomen fuscous or red brown. A white spot is found at the base of the hind tibia and others on the outer spur of midlegs and outer medial spur of hindlegs.
Forewings pale or dark red brown or olive brown, irrorated (sprinkled) with dark specks. There are traces of antemedial and medial waved lines. A straight oblique postmedial line found. Orbicular and reniform greyish or ochreous, or in the form of deep black quadrate spots with white edges.
Black spots can be seen below center and end of cell generally present, with a white lunule on it and conjoined by a streak. There is a large ochreous patch found sometimes present from lower end of cell to inner margin. An obscure waved sub-marginal line commencing as an oblique streak from the apex.
Hindwings very dark red brown. The area near anal angle greyish with dark strigae. A broad, irregularly angled, purplish-blue medial band runs from costa to vein 2. A black spot with pale streak can be seen on it above anal angle. Ventral side of forewing with white irregular postmedial band from the costa to vein 2. Hindwings with dentate postmedial line present.
In the female, the forewings are much uniform in colour and without the black patches. The oblique line is prominent. Hindwings with broad and more regular band. No mark can be seen above the anal angle. The colour often very dark.
Larvae are purplish brown and ochreous, irregularly marked with short black streaks. Their head is ochreous with brown speckles. The 4th to 6th and then 10th and 11th somites with short dorsal conical prominences. Pupa efflorescent.
The larvae feed on Schima species, Ligustrum sinense, Cinnamomum camphora, Mangifera indica, Schima wallichi, Dimocarpus longan and Litchi chinensis. They are dark rich brown. The final instar has a band of paler rufous brown.
Subspecies :
Ischyja manlia manlia
Ischyja manlia amboinensis Felder, 1861 (Southern Moluccas)
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Ischyja
Species: I. manlia
Binomial name : Ischyja manlia
Cramer, 1776
Zeuxidia amethystus
common Saturn
Amathusiini is a tribe of the nymphalid butterfly subfamily Morphinae. They are large butterflies.
They are sometimes treated as a distinct subfamily Amathusiinae or family Amathusiidae.
Zeuxidia is a genus of very large butterflies in the family Nymphalidae. They are "leaf" butterflies with a cryptic ventral pattern. The genus is Indomalayan (Burma through Indochina and the Philippines to Sumatra, Java and Borneo.
Zeuxidia amethystus, the common Saturn, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1865.
This butterfly is relatively large and striking. Its forewings have a broad iridescent-blue band with a similar blue patch on the hindwing. It is not abundant in Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo.
It has only be observed in dense forests often encountered along forest paths and generally fly no more than a few feet above the ground.
It can be approached while feeding on fermenting fallen fruits. Its flight period extends from May to September. It obtains minerals using mud-puddling behavior and seem to be prefer ammonium ions rather than sodium.
The majority of the species have drab and cryptic undersides that help the butterflies camouflage themselves amongst the forest leaf litter as they forage for food.
The species is partial to rotting fruit like papaya, guava or pineapple. In Singapore, the Saturn is often observed feeding on rotting figs.
The Saturn is a medium sized butterfly, usually attaining a wingspan of 100 mm or more.
The males are black above, with a broad iridescent blue discal band on the forewing with a large tornal patch of the same colour on the hindwing.
The female, blue is replaced with a pale yellow fascia and dull orange on the apical area of the hindwings. The undersides presents a leaf-like appearance with cryptic markings on a brown background and there are large ocelli on the hindwings.
The Saturn is a common butterfly along jungle paths, usually feeding on fallen fruits on the forest floor. The cryptic undersides camouflages it very well, amongst the dead leaves and twigs. It is sometimes collected and displayed as fine wall art.
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Subfamily: Morphinae
Tribe: Amathusiini
Genus: Zeuxidia
Hübner, 1826
Species: Z. amethystus
Binomial name : Zeuxidia amethystus
Butler, 1865
Cyclosia sordidus
zygaenid moth
Cyclosia is a genus of zygaenid moth that has a mimicry complex with the milkweed butterfly.
Cyclosia sordidus is a species of Lepidoptera in the family Zygaenidae. The habitat consists of rainforests and humid deciduous forests.
The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. Some of the 1000 or so species are commonly known as burnet or forester moths, often qualified by the number of spots, although other families also have 'foresters'. They are also sometimes called smoky moths.
Zygaenid moths are typically day flying with a slow, fluttering flight, and with rather clubbed antennae. They generally have a metallic sheen and often prominent spots of red or yellow.
The bright colours are a warning to predators that the moths are distasteful, they contain hydrogen cyanide (HCN) throughout all stages of their life cycle. Unlike most insects with such toxins, they obtain glucosides from the plants they utilize so that HCN can be used as a defence.
However, they are capable of making HCN themselves and when in an environment poor in cyanide
producing plants, synthesize it themselves. They form mimicry complexes based on these toxins.
However, while the overall picture is of genuine aposematism the insects are both conspicuously coloured and toxic, containing cyanogenic glucosides, a study by Emmanuelle Briolat and colleagues including Martin Stevens found no evidence of a quantitative relationship between the visual signals of different species of Zygaenidae and their toxicity.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Zygaenidae
Subfamily : Chalcosiinae
Genus : Cyclosia
Hübner, 1820
Species : Cyclosia sordidus
Walker, 1862
Synonyms :
Klaboana Moore, 1879
Theretra latreillii
Pale Brown Hawk moth
土色斜纹天蛾
Theretra is a genus of moths in the family Sphingidae. The genus was established by Jacob Hübner in 1819.
Theretra latreillii (土色斜纹天蛾) the pale brown hawk moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae described
by William Sharp Macleay in 1826.
It is found in most of Asia, including Borneo, China, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Taiwan and also throughout the tropical and temperate regions of Australia.
The adult grows to a length of about 70 millimetres (2.8 in). The body is ochreous brown. Antennae, head front and sides of thorax are paler. Forewing with a black speck at end of cell.
There are two oblique indistinct lines from near the apex to near base of inner margin. Three similar lines running from the apex nearly parallel to outer margin.
Hindwing is smoky black with paler towards anal angle. Ventral side is with a slight rosy tinge.
The subspecies T. l. tenebrosa is darker on both upper and undersides than T. l. lucasii, which again is darker than T. l. rhesus. Larva is brown with darker specks. A pale lateral line runs on thoracic somites. Ocellus on 4th somite is whitish, centered with a black ring on an ochreous ground.
Larvae have been recorded on Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Cayratia clematidea, Cayratia corniculata,
Impatiens walleriana, Leea indica, Lagerstroemia indica and Fuchsia species.
Theretra latreillii latreillii - nominate from Australia.
Theretra latreillii lucasii (Walker, 1856) (Sri Lanka, southern and north-eastern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, the Andaman Islands, Thailand, southern and eastern China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines)
Theretra latreillii prattorum Clark, 1924 (Indonesia)
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Sphingidae
Genus : Theretra
Species : T. latreillii
Binomial name : Theretra latreillii
Macleay, 1826
Eumelea ludovicata
黃粉尺蛾
Eumelea is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae. It was described by James Duncan and John O. Westwood in 1841. Species are confined to Austro-Malayan subregions and throughout China, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
Eumelea ludovicata (黃粉尺蛾) is a moth of the family Geometridae first described by Achille Guenée in 1858. It is found in Indo-Australian tropics of India, Sri Lanka, east to Singapore, Taiwan, the Solomon Islands and Guam.
The adult has a fluttering, erratic flight. The male is more reddish, whereas female is yellowish. The caterpillar has a cylindrical yellowish-white body with many longitudinal lines.
Setae minute and spiracles greenish. Its round shaped head is yellowish white with rusty markings. Hairs are present, which are short, erect and thick. Host plant is always Macaranga species.
Pupa elongate with semi-elliptical, flattened cremaster. Pupal case for the proboscis and antennae extends free. Caterpillar resting straight at 60 degrees to the leaf surface, which is often confused as a twig. Pupation occurs between two leaves fastened together coated inside with silk.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Clade : Pancrustacea
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Geometridae
Genus : Eumelea
Species : E. ludovicata
Binomial name : Eumelea ludovicata
Guenée, 1858
Synonyms :
Eumelea aureliata Guenée, 1857
Eumelea ludovicata Guenée; Prout, 1921
Lyssa zampa
tropical swallowtail moth
Lyssa is a genus of moths in the family Uraniidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1823. The genus includes relatively large moths that are found in southern Asia and the Pacific region.
Lyssa zampa, the tropical swallowtail moth or Laos brown butterfly, is a moth of the family Uraniidae.
The Uraniidae are a family of moths containing four subfamilies, 90 genera, and roughly 700 species. The family is distributed throughout the tropics of the Americas, Africa and Indo-Australia.
Some of the tropical species are known for their bright, butterfly-like colors and are called sunset moths (for example Chrysiridia rhipheus). Such moths are apparently toxic and the bright colors are a warning to predators.
The family Uraniidae contains both diurnal and nocturnal species. The day-flying species are usually more strikingly colored and vibrant than the nocturnal ones. Many diurnal species also have iridescent scales and multiple tails, which often led them to be mistaken for butterflies.
In sharp contrast, the nocturnal species are generally small, pale-colored insects. The Uraniidae are similar to the geometer moths, to which they are related, but a different wing veining pattern distinguishes them.
Lyssa zampa, the tropical swallowtail moth or Laos brown butterfly was first described by British entomologist Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1869.
It is native to a wide range of tropical South-East Asia country : Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand,
and the Philippines and it is also recorded from Andaman Islands, southern China, the Himalayas, and sporadically in East Asia, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
The forewing length is about 70 mm (2.8 in) and the wingspan reaches a maximum of 160 mm (6.3 in). It is most abundant from May to November depending on the location.
The genus Lyssa is generally categorized as a nocturnal or crepuscular group, but this species has been found to be active both during the day and at night. This species is also known for its mass emergence and migration because of that ecology and the habit that they are often attracted by urban bright lights.
The larvae feed on Endospermum and other members of the rubber tree family
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Uraniidae
Genus : Lyssa
Species : L. zampa
Binomial name : Lyssa zampa
Delias hyparete
painted Jezebel
Delias is a genus of butterflies. There are about 250 species of the genus Delias, found in South Asia and Australia. The genus is considered to have its evolutionary origins in the Australian region.
They are remarkable for the gay-coloured under surfaces of very many species which often show an altogether ideally beautiful arrangement of intensively coloured bands and spots.
Delias hyparete, the painted Jezebel, is a medium-sized butterfly of the family Pieridae, found in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Delias hyparete, the Painted Jezebel, is a common pierid butterfly widely distributed throughout most parts of Asia spanning across areas such as East India, South China, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei and the Phillippine in the genus Delias, which is the largest in the family Pieridae.
The Pieridae are a large family of butterflies with about 76 genera containing about 1,100 species, mostly from tropical Africa and tropical Asia with some varieties in the more northern regions of North America and Eurasia. Most pierid butterflies are white, yellow, or orange in coloration, often with black spots. The pigments that give the distinct coloring to these butterflies are derived from waste products in the body and are a characteristic of this family.
This species closely resembles Delias eucharis but can be distinguished as follows : Male upper forewing has the black margins to the veins more diffuse; the transverse postdiscal band diffuse, ill-defined, oblique, not parallel to termen in its lower portion but terminated at apex of vein 2; the apical portion of the wing beyond the fascia more or less so thickly shaded with black scales as to leave the white lanceolate (lance-shaped) spaces between the veins (so prominent in D. eucharis) ill-defined and obscure.
Hindwing white, the black venation and terminal narrow black border as well as the sub-terminal vermilion-red spots between the veins on the underside show through by transparency. Underside : forewing as in D. eucharis, but the black margins to the veins much broader and the postdiscal transverse fascia as on the upperside oblique but broader. Hindwing differs from that of D. eucharis in the much deeper chrome-yellow tint of the ground colour, the postdiscal black curved band that in D. eucharis separates the yellow from the subterminal vermilion-red spots entirely wanting, the red spots themselves pointed inwardly, not subcordate, they conspicuously increase in size posteriorly.
Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen similar to those of D. eucharis. Female differs from the female of D. eucharis on the upperside by the very much darker shading, especially on the forewing, and by the postdiscal transverse band which is as in the D. eucharis oblique but broader. Hindwing also more darkly shaded, the postdiscal transverse curved black baud entirely absent. Underside as in the female but darker, the forewing especially more thickly shaded with black scaling, the preapical interspaces tinged with yellow. Antennae, thorax and abdomen similar to those in D. eucharis.
The primary host plant of Delias hyparete (Painted Jezebel) is the Malayan Mistletoe, Dendrophthoe pentandra. Delias hyparete lays its pale-yellow, spindle-shaped eggs in loose clusters on the undersides of Malayan Mistletoe leaves. The eggs attach at one end to the leaf, with the crown pointing outward.
Once hatched, the caterpillars feed gregariously on the mistletoe leaves, completing their larval stage before pupating. The larvae’s dependence on parasitic mistletoes is a general trait of the genus Delias, making Dendrophthoe pentandra a critical plant for their survival.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Pieridae
Genus : Delias
Species : D. hyparete
Binomial name : Delias hyparete
Linnaeus, 1758
Dysphania militaris
false tiger moth
Dysphania is a genus of colourful moths in the family Geometridae and typical of the tribe Dysphaniini, they are sometimes called 'false tiger moths' and are found in northeast Australia, Melanesia, and south, east
and southeast Asia.
Most Dysphania are day flying, but there are also nocturnal species. With a typical wingspan of 50–85 millimetres (2.0–3.3 in), they are relatively large compared to many other members of this family.
Dysphania militaris is a species of moth of the family Geometridae that is found from in the tropical regions of South and Southeast Asian countries such as China, India, Myanmar, Andaman Islands, Sumatra and Java. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Its wingspan is about 80–96 mm. Forewings of male produced, long and narrow. The fovea strongly developed. Head, thorax and abdomen golden yellowish with purplish bands.
Forewings with golden-yellow basal half, the outer half deep purplish with its inner edge irregularly sinuous. Two oblique basal purple fascia, where the lower fascia sometimes having a spot detached from it. Two spots found on costa near base.
There is an oblique antemedial series of three spots often conjoined, the outer area with two pale blue maculate bands, where the outer ending found at vein 3.
Hindwings golden yellow, with a large purple discocellular spot and a spot below the cell. A postmedial lunulate band excurved between veins 3 and 5. A submarginal spot series becoming large conjoined lunulate patches at apex. The spots on the yellow area are very variable.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Geometridae
Subfamily : Geometrinae
Genus : Dysphania
Species : D. militaris
Binomial name : Dysphania militaris
Linnaeus, 1758
Castalius rosimon
common pirrot
Castalius is a butterfly genus in the family Lycaenidae. They are commonly known as Pierrots. This name is also often used for the very closely related genus Tarucus.
The Common Pierrot (Castalius rosimon) is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the Lycaenids or Blues family.
The male underside of the wings is white with black spots and streaks. The base of the upper side of both wings is a beautiful shiny pale blue, and more extensive. Upper side is also mainly white. The hind wing has three basal black somewhat coalescent spots overlaid with metallic blue scaling.
Fore wing has a long oblique black band from base outwards to the costa and below it, obliquely placed an irregular black somewhat conical. Following these are two outwardly oblique, medially interrupted, black macular bands.
There is a seasonal variation in the size and intensity of these black markings; the wet season forms have larger and darker markings than those from the dry season.
The female similar to the male but with the black markings on the upper and under sides broader. The base of the upper side of both wings is a beautiful shiny pale blue, and less extensive. The sub marginal bands above are much wider.
Castalius rosimon can be found in cultivated areas along hedges and fences, and home gardens with overgrown scrub with interspersed trees. It basks in the sun and prefers open spaces and scrub jungle.
The larvae of Castalius rosimon feed on Zizyphus jujube, Zizyphus mauritiana, Zizyphus rugosa of family Rhamnaceae.
Distribution : Sri Lanka, S.India to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, S.China, Hainan, Hong Kong, Langkawi, W.Malaysia, Tioman, Singapore, Andamans, Nicobars, Sumatra, Bangka, Borneo, Java, Bali, Lesser Sunda, Timor, Sulawesi.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Lycaenidae
Subfamily : Polyommatinae
Tribe : Polyommatini
Genus : Castalius
Hübner, 1819
Species : C. rosimo
Binomial name : Castalius rosimon
Fabricius, 1775
Elymnias hypermnestra
common palmfly caterpillar
Elymnias is a genus of brush-footed butterflies within the subtribe Elymniina. The palmflies are a common Asian butterfly genus found from India to the Solomon Islands. The caterpillars mimic leaves which they feed on.
Elymnias hypermnestra, the common palmfly, is a species of satyrine butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia.
The larvae of Elymnias hypermnestra are cylindrical in shape during early stages. The head capsule is black, contrasting with the pale yellow body in early instars. The body is densely covered with thick setae, each tipped with transparent droplets, giving the caterpillar a distinctive textured appearance.
By the 5th instar, the body color changes to green, which helps in camouflage among the leaves of their host plants. Some larvae also display yellow dorsal stripes, a bifid caudal process, and a pair of black horns on the head in later stages.
Elymnias hypermnestra larvae are herbivorous, feeding primarily on palms (Arecaceae). Common host plants include Dypsis lutescens, Areca spp., Cocos nucifera, Phoenix spp., and Calamus spp. They feed on the leaf margins, often leaving irregularly clipped blades as a sign of their presence.
Newly hatched larvae consume their egg shells before feeding on the leaves, which provides initial nutrients and helps them emerge from the egg. This specialization ties the butterfly closely to palm-rich habitats.
The larvae of Elymnias hypermnestra are typically found on primary and secondary forests, oil palm plantations, and parks. They are minor pests, as their feeding causes only limited damage to palm leaves.
While Elymnias hypermnestra is not currently listed as threatened, its dependence on palm-rich habitats makes it sensitive to deforestation and habitat degradation.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Clade : Pancrustacea
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Nymphalidae
Genus : Elymnias
Species : E. hypermnestra
Binomial name : Elymnias hypermnestra
Linnaeus, 1763
Barsine roseororatus
The Arctiinae (formerly called the family Arctiidae) are a large and diverse subfamily of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species.
This subfamily includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths (or tigers), which usually have bright colours, footmen, which are usually much drabber, lichen moths, and wasp moths.
Many species have "hairy" caterpillars that are popularly known as woolly bears or woolly worms. The scientific name Arctiinae refers to this hairiness (Gk. αρκτος = a bear).
Some species within the Arctiinae have the word "tussock"' in their common names because they have been misidentified as members of the Lymantriinae subfamily based on the characteristics of the larvae.
Barsine roseororatus is a species of moth of the family Erebidae, subfamily Arctiinae. It is found in Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. It has also been recorded as a millet pest in India.
Barsine roseororatus larvae are known to feed on millet in India, suggesting grasses as potential host plants, though detailed host plant records are limited.
The species is frequent in both natural and disturbed habitats in the lowlands and more rarely up to about 2000 meters, which implies that it may utilize a variety of plants for larval development, potentially including wild grasses and cultivated cereals. Its presence in agricultural areas as a millet pest highlights its adaptability to human-modified environments.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Subfamily : Arctiinae
Genus : Barsine
Species : B. roseororatus
Binomial name : Barsine roseororatus
Butler, 1877
Pterophoridae
Plume moths
Pterophoridae is the scientific name for the family of moths known as plume moths, derived from Greek roots meaning "wing bearer."
Plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with uniquely modified wings that are deeply divided into plumes or lobes. Typically, the forewings are split into two plumes and the hindwings into three, giving them a feathery appearance.
This unusual wing morphology allows them to fly despite their delicate structure. When at rest, they often hold their wings at right angles to the body, rolled into a narrow rod-like shape, which helps them camouflage as dried grass or twigs
The Pterophoridae or plume moths are a family of Lepidoptera with unusually modified wings. Though they belong to the Apoditrysia like the larger moths and the butterflies, unlike these they are tiny and were formerly included among the assemblage called "microlepidoptera".
In some respects, the pterophorid plume moth is fit to a "T."
At rest, the plume moth holds its slender wings at right angles to body, giving it a T-shaped profile.
They're called plume moths..."because the forewings are deeply notched and the hindwings are divided into
three linear parts, each with long scale fringes. When perched, the insects roll the forewings around the folded hindwing plumes, resulting in peculiar sticklike or craneflylike appearance, unlike any other moth.
"Most are nocturnal and are attracted to lights.
The forewings of plume moths usually consist of two curved spars with more or less bedraggled bristles trailing behind. This resembles the closely related Alucitidae (many-plumed moths) at first glance, but the latter have a greater number of symmetrical plumes. The hindwings are similarly constructed, but have three spars. A few genera have normal lepidopteran wings.
The usual resting posture is with the wings extended laterally and narrowly rolled up. Often they resemble a piece of dried grass, and may pass unnoticed by potential predators even when resting in exposed situations in daylight. Some species have larvae which are stem- or root-borers while others are leaf-browsers.
The larvae of Pterophoridae are usually leaf rollers, stem borers, or leaf miners, feeding on a variety of plants. Some species are considered pests, such as the artichoke plume moth (Platyptilia carduidactyla), while others are used in biological control against invasive plants. Plume moths are generally small, with wingspans ranging from 6 to 50 mm, and are mostly nocturnal
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Pterophoroidea
Family : Pterophoridae
Zeller, 1841
Cirrhochrista fumipalpis
grass moth
The Crambidae are the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in wing-spread attitudes.
In many classifications, the Crambidae have been treated as a subfamily of the Pyralidae or snout-moths.
The principal difference is a structure in the tympanal organs called the praecinctorium, which joins two tympanic membranes in the Crambidae, and is absent from the Pyralidae.
The latest review by Munroe and Solis, in Kristensen (1999), retains the Crambidae as a full family. The family currently comprises 15 subfamilies with altogether 10,347 species in over 1,000 genera.
Since crambids are relatively common throughout human settlements, the moths tend to affect crops and gardens, whether harmfully, beneficially or harmlessly.
Crambid larvae are typically stem borers in plants of the grass family. As this family contains many important crops, some Crambidae species achieve pest status.
The genus Cirrhochrista is a moths of the family Crambidae described by Julius Lederer in 1863.
Cirrhochrista fumipalpis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Cajetan Felder, Rudolf Felder and Alois Friedrich Rogenhofer in 1875. It is found on the Moluccas.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Crambidae
Genus : Cirrhochrista
Species : C. fumipalpis
Binomial name : Cirrhochrista fumipalpis
C. Felder, R. Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875
Papilio demoleus
Lime swallowtail
Papilio is a genus of butterfly in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae, as well as the only representative of the tribe Papilionini.
In their larval form, members of Papilio typically feed upon plants of Rutaceae including common ornamental and agriculturally important species such as Citrus species, Murraya species, Choisya species and Calodendrum species. Caterpillars sequester terpenoids from their diet to produce a foul smelling oil used in defence.
Papilio demoleus is a common and widespread swallowtail butterfly. The butterfly is also known as the lime butterfly, lemon butterfly, lime swallowtail, and chequered swallowtail. P. demoleus is perhaps the most widely distributed swallowtail in the world.
The widespread range of P. demoleus indicates the butterfly's tolerance and adaptation to diverse habitats. It is found in savannahs, fallow lands, gardens, evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, and shows a preference for streams and riverbeds.
The lime butterfly is an economic pest on many cultivated citrus species. These common names refer to their host plants, which are usually citrus species such as the cultivated lime.
P. demoleus unlike most swallowtail butterflies, it does not have a prominent tail. This butterfly is a pest and invasive species, found from Asia to Australia and has spread to Hispaniola island (Dominican Republic) in the Western Hemisphere, and to Mahé, Seychelles.
P. demoleus is tailless and has a wingspan of 80–100 mm. Above, the background colour is black. A broad, irregular yellow band is found on the wings above, which is broken in the case of the forewing.
Besides this, the butterfly has a large number of irregular spots on the wing. The upper hindwing has a red tornal spot with blue edging around it.
P. demoleus is an avid mud-puddler and visitor of flowers. It basks with its wings held wide open on tufts of grass and herbs, and generally keeps within a metre of the ground, even on cloudy days. It relies on its quick flight for escape. It has a number of modes of flight. In the cool of the morning, the flight is slow considering that it is an edible and unprotected swallowtail.
As the day progresses, it flies fast, straight, and low. In the hotter part of the day, it may be found settling on damp patches, where it will remain motionless, except for an occasional flutter of wings, if not disturbed.
It is also a frequent visitor of flowers in gardens, where it shows a preference for flowers of smaller herbs rather than larger plants such as the ubiquitous Lantana with its plentiful blooms. It can be found swarming in the groves of its food plants.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Papilionidae
Genus : Papilio
Species : P. demoleus
Binomial name : Papilio demoleus
Linnaeus, 1758
Creatonotos gangis
Arctiine moth
Creatonotos is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. The moths in the genus are found in the Afrotropics, South and East Asia, Sundaland and Australia.
Creatonotos gangis, the Baphomet moth, is a species of arctiine moth in South East Asia and Australia. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 Centuria Insectorum.
The Baphomet moth, or Creatonotos gangis is actually one of the most otherworldly-looking moths in the insect kingdom. Often called the "Tentacle Moth" or "Alien Moth". It is a striking Southeast Asian and Australian moth known for its red abdomen and the male’s inflatable, hair-covered scent organs called coremata.
Adults have white hindwings and brown forewings, each with a dark streak, and a wingspan of 4 cm. The abdomen is red or, more rarely, yellow. Males have four large eversible coremata (scent organs), which can exceed the length of the abdomen when inflated.
The eggs are yellow and round, and are laid in rows on the leaves of food plants. The caterpillars are brown hairy animals with a yellow stripe along the back, with a polyphagous diet, known as a minor pest which feeds on groundnuts, rice, ragi, sorghum, Pennisetum americanum, coffee, sweetpotato, and lucerne crops.
Creatonotos gangis lives in South East Asia and parts of Australia. Its Asian distribution includes eastern Indonesia, India, Iran, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and New Guinea.
In Australia, it is restricted to northern parts of Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland, extending as far south as Mackay.
Adult males secrete the pheromone hydroxydanaidal in order to attract mates. The amount produced, and the size of the coremata which produce it, are however dependent on the diet that the moth experienced as a caterpillar.
If the larval diet contained pyrrolizidine alkaloids, then the coremata become large and the male will release up to 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of Hydroxydanaidal, but if it does not, then the coremata do not grow large and no scent is produced.
The larvae of C. gangis can cause extensive damage to the foliage of pomegranate trees.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Erebidae
Subfamily : Arctiinae
Genus : Creatonotos
Species : C. gangis
Binomial name : Creatonotos gangis
Linnaeus, 1763
Lappet moth caterpillar
Lasiocampidae, Trabala sp
Lasiocampoidea is the superfamily of "lappet moths" (Lasiocampidae), containing one family of small to very large moths.
The Lasiocampidae are a family of moths also known as eggars, snout moths (although this also refers to the Pyralidae), or lappet moths. Over 2,000 species occur worldwide, and probably not all have been named or studied.
Caterpillars of this family are large and are most often hairy, especially on their sides. Most have skin flaps on their prolegs and a pair of dorsal glands on their abdomens. They feed on leaves of many different trees and shrubs, and often use these same plants to camouflage their cocoons.
Some species are called tent caterpillars due to their habit of living together in nests spun of silk. As adults, the moths in this family are large bodied with broad wings and may still have the characteristic elongated mouth parts, or have reduced mouthparts and not feed as adults. They are either diurnal or nocturnal.
Females lay a large number of eggs which are flat in appearance and either smooth or slightly pitted. In tent caterpillars, the eggs are deposited in masses and covered with a material that hardens in air. Females are generally larger and slower than the males, but the sexes otherwise resemble each other. Moths are typically brown or grey, with hairy legs and bodies.
Lappet moth caterpillars are notable for their size, hairiness, and lappets, which provide camouflage and protection. While generally not major pests, they can occasionally cause noticeable defoliation, making them an important species to observe in both natural and managed landscapes.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Clade : Apoditrysia
Clade : Obtectomera
Clade : Macroheterocera
Superfamily : Lasiocampoidea
Family : Lasiocampidae
Harris, 1841
Catoria sublavaria
geometer moth
Catoria sublavaria is a moth of the family Geometridae described by Achille Guenée in 1857.
It is found in the asia tropics of India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Myanmar, towards New Guinea, to the Bismarck Islands and Taiwan.
Its wingspan is about 40–45 mm. Forewings with vein 10 and 11 stalked in male, sometimes connected with vein 12, but in female with vein 11 anastomosing (fusing) or coincident with vein 12.
Body greyish white. Frons and palpi black. Wings irrorated (sprinkled) with pale fuscous spots. Forewings with antemedial, both wings with medial, postmedial, submarginal and marginal specks series.
There are traces of a ring-spot at end of cell. Ventral side fuscous, with very large black cell-spots and white marginal patches at apex and middle of each wing.
Larva cylindrical, a shining black with a faint greenish tinge. It rests slightly curved on a leaf edge. Pupation is in a silken cell on the ground or between two leaves.
The larvae feed on Alseodaphne and Excoecaria species.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Geometridae
Subfamily : Ennominae
Tribe : Boarmiini
Genus : Catoria
Species : C. sublavaria
Binomial name : Catoria sublavaria
Guenee, 1857
Junonia atlites
grey pansy
Junonia is a genus of nymphalid butterflies, described by Jacob Hübner in 1819. They are commonly known as buckeyes, pansies or commodores. This genus flies on every continent except Antarctica and Europe. The genus contains roughly 30 to 35 species.
These butterflies are medium to large (wingspan 40–110 mm). The ground colour is brown or grey suffused blue. Spots on the wings are orange, blue or pink and sometimes large. Many of the species can occur in several colour forms.
The head is of moderate size with smooth, prominent eyes. The palpi are rather long, sharply pointed, ascending, generally convergent and scaly, sometimes more or less hairy. The antennae are of moderate length, generally with a rather short, abruptly formed club. The thorax is robust, ovate, rather sparingly clothed with hairs.
The wing characters are large, broad, variable in outline. Forewing : costa more or less arched, sometimes very strongly so; apical portion more or less produced, sometimes very prominent, with a strong projection on the hind margin at the extremity of the first discoidal nervule; hind margin always more or less dentate and emarginate, with, in many species, a considerable projection at extremity of third median nervule; inner margin nearly straight, or slightly emarginate about centre; discoidal cell generally closed by a slender nervule.
Hindwing : costa strongly arched at base, and more or less so throughout; hind margin always more or less scalloped, sometimes simply rounded (without any marked projections), sometimes with a more or less elongate production of anal angle, and occasionally with a longer or shorter projection of hind margin at extremity of first median nervule; inner margins deeply grooved and entirely covering the under surface of the abdomen; discoidal cell generally open. The abdomen short, compressed, rather slender.
The larvae are rather stout, almost of equal thickness throughout, armed with strong branched spines; sometimes with two short, similar spines on head. The pupae are moderately angulated, with raised tubercles on the back, head slightly bifid. Sometimes hardly angulated, the anterior portions more rounded.
Junonia atlites, the grey pansy is a species of nymphalid butterfly found in South Asia consist of India, southern China, Cambodia, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, western and central Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Upperside of both sexes pale lavender brown, apical half of wings paler. Forewing : cell with, three transverse, short, sinuous black bands, the outermost defining the discocellulars; a similar short, somewhat broader band beyond the apex of the cell; two transverse discal dusky black fasciae, the inner highly sinuous and outward, angulate above vein 4, the outer straighter, somewhat lunular, bordered by a series of whitish ovals with dusky or black centers.
The black-centered spots in the ovals in interspaces 2, 5, and 6 margined posteriorly with rich ocherous yellow. Beyond this series of ovals is a lunular, narrow, transverse dark band, followed by sinuous subterminal and terminal broad dark lines.
Apex of wing slightly fuliginous. Hindwing: a short slender black loop from veins 6 to 4 at apex of cell-area; two discal sinuous transverse dark, fasciae in continuation of those on the forewing: followed by a series of dark-centered ovals in interspaces 2–6, the ovals in interspaces 2, 5, and 6 with the dark centers inwardly broadly bordered with ochreous yellow; postdiscal, subterminal and terminal dark lunular lines as on the fore wing.
Underside lilacine white markings as on the upperside but very delicate, slender and somewhat obsolescent. In the dry-season forms of the males the rows of oval ocelli are only indicated by the yellow-centered ovals.
The most prominent marking is the inner discal fascia crossing the wings; this is much less sinuous than on the upperside and not angulated on the forewing.
In the females the markings are all heavier and more distinct, the space between the various transverse fasciae tinged with ocherous.
The larvae of Junonia atlites feed on Oryza, Pseuderanthemum, Strobilanthes, Asteracantha longifolia, Alternanthera philoxeroides, Barleria, Hygrophila lancea, and Hygrophila salicifolia.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Nymphalidae
Genus : Junonia
Species : J. atlites
Binomial name : Junonia atlites
Linnaeus, 1763
Amplypterus panopus
mango hawkmoth
The Sphingidae are a family of moths (Lepidoptera) called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as “hornworms”; it includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species are found in every region.
They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their agile and sustained flying ability, similar enough to that of hummingbirds as to be reliably mistaken for them.
Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight. The family was named by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802.
Some hawk moths, such as the hummingbird hawk-moth or the white-lined sphinx, hover in midair while they feed on nectar from flowers, so are sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds.
In studies with Manduca sexta, moths have dynamic flight sensory abilities due to their antennae. The antennae are vibrated in a plane so that when the body of the moth rotates during controlled aerial maneuvers, the antennae are subject to the inertial Coriolis forces that are linearly proportional to the angular velocity of the body.
The Coriolis forces cause deflections of the antennae, which are detected by the Johnston's organ at the base of each antenna, with strong frequency responses at the beat frequency of the antennae (around 25 Hz) and at twice the beat frequency.
The relative magnitude of the two frequency responses enables the moth to distinguish rotation around the different principal axes, allowing for rapid course control during aerial maneuvers.
Amplypterus is a genus of moths in the family Sphingidae. The genus was erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819.
Amplypterus panopus, the mango hawkmoth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae.
The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1779. It is found in Sri Lanka, southern and northern India (including the Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands), Nepal, Myanmar, southern China, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia (to Sulawesi), Singapore and the Philippines.
Adults are on wing in March, April, June, August and December in Hong Kong.
The wingspan is 130–168 mm. Larvae have been recorded on Dracontomelum, Mangifera indica, Rhus, Durio, Calophyllum and Garcinia.
Superficially similar to species of the Adhemarius dariensis species-group but Amplypterus panopus panopus is distinctive in the broad, sharply delineated, parallel-sided, ash-pink band across the forewing and similarly coloured broad markings on the anterior half of the abdomen.
These bands contrast with the dark chocolate-brown colour of the thorax, forewing bases and distal half of the abdomen. When resting, the wings are spread widely in a plane below the horizontal, the forewings not quite covering the hindwings, the latter just covering the sides of the abdomen.
In this position the moth is a wonderful example of protective colouring. These bands divide the moth into three stripes, two dark bands separated by a pale band. Apex broadly of hindwing rounded (pointed in Amplypterus mansoni).
Unlike Adhemarius dariensis and its relatives, the forewing upperside of Amplypterus panopus panopus lacks the subbasal spot and the tornal patch is developed into a poorly defined eyespot; tornal eyespot better developed than in Amplypterus mansoni and the submarginal area above it with a stronger, more contrasted pattern.
Outer third of hindwing upperside has a diagnostic pattern of black veins crossing an olive-green submarginal and blue-grey marginal band.
In the male genitalia, uncus with a spatulate median process. Gnathos produced into a median plate, slightly longer than broad.
Valve very large, apex rounded; stridulatory scales present. Harpe a small basal ridge standing nearly at right-angles to ventral edge of valve. Aedeagus with a small tooth; apex with two lingulate flaps bearing setose triangular projections. In the female genitalia, sterigma membranous except for the strongly rounded distal edge.
The moth is sluggish during the daytime and allows itself to be handled, but at night it flies strongly.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Sphingidae
Genus : Amplypterus
Species : A. panopus
Binomial name : Amplypterus panopus
Cramer, [1779]
Glyphodes actorionalis
grass moth
三斑絹野螟蛾
Glyphodes actorionalis is a moth in the family Crambidae, first described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found in tropical and subtropical regions, including Zambia, India, and Indonesia (the Moluccas, Sulawesi).
Glyphodes actorionalis is a species of Lepidoptera in the family crambid snout moths. They are nocturnal.
The Crambidae are the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in wing-spread attitudes.
In many classifications, the Crambidae have been treated as a subfamily of the Pyralidae or snout-moths. The principal difference is a structure in the tympanal organs called the praecinctorium, which joins two tympanic membranes in the Crambidae, and is absent from the Pyralidae.
The latest review by Munroe and Solis, in Kristensen (1999), retains the Crambidae as a full family. The family currently comprises 15 subfamilies with altogether 10,347 species in over 1,000 genera.
The species is found across south-east Asia, including India, Japan and Zambia as well as Australia in Queensland.
Glyphodes actorionalis is known for its dark brown to black forewings, featuring several iridescent, translucent pale blue-white patches, and largely translucent pale blue-white hindwings bordered in dark brown. The wingspan is about 3 cms.
The moth undergoes complete metamorphosis, with eggs laid on host plants, larvae feeding on leaves, pupation occurring, and adults emerging. It is a least-concern species, indicating that it is not currently under threat from human activities.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Crambidae
Genus : Glyphodes
Species : G. actorionalis
Binomial name : Glyphodes actorionalis
Walker, 1859
Saptha beryllitis
metalmark moth
Saptha beryllitis is a moth in the family Choreutidae it was described by Edward Meyrick in 1910. It is found in Japan, Taiwan, India's Nicobar Islands and Singapore.
Choreutidae, or metalmark moths, are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order whose relationships
have been long disputed. It was placed previously in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea in family
Glyphipterigidae and in superfamily Sesioidea.
It is now considered to represent its own superfamily (Minet, 1986). The relationship of the family to the other lineages in the group "Apoditrysia" need a new assessment, especially with new molecular data.
The moths occur worldwide, with 19 genera in three subfamilies defined by the structural characteristics of the immature stages (larvae and pupae), rather than the characters of the adults (Heppner and Duckworth, 1981; Rota, 2005).
These small moths often bear metallic scales and are mostly day-flying (some also come to lights), with a jerky, pivoting behaviour, and may fluff up their wings at an extreme angle.
Some tropical exemplars such as the genus Saptha are quite spectacular, with bright green metallic bands . The members of the genus Brenthia, usually placed in their own subfamily Brenthiinae, have eyespots on the wings and have been shown to mimic jumping spiders (Rota and Wagner, 2006).
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Family : Choreutidae
Genus : Saptha
Species : S. beryllitis
Binomial name : Saptha beryllitis
Meyrick, 1910
Spodoptera litura
tobacco cutworm larva
Spodoptera litura, otherwise known as the tobacco cutworm or cotton leafworm, is a nocturnal moth in the family Noctuidae.
Spodoptera litura is a serious polyphagous pest in Asia, Oceania, and the Indian subcontinent that was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.
Its common names reference two of the most frequent host plants of the moth. In total, 87 species of host plants that are infested by S. litura are of economic importance. The species parasitize the plants through the larvae vigorous eating patterns, oftentimes leaving the leaves completely destroyed.
The moth's effects are quite disastrous, destroying economically important agricultural crops and decreasing yield in some plants completely. Their potential impact on the many different cultivated crops, and subsequently the local agricultural economy, has led to serious efforts to control the pests.
Spodoptera litura is often confused with its close relative, Spodoptera littoralis. These two species are hard to discriminate between because the larvae and adult forms are identical. Inspecting the genitalia is the most certain way to tell the two species apart.
Larvae body length ranges from 2.3 to 32 mm. The larva is variable in color based on age. Younger larvae tend to be a lighter green while older ones develop to a dark green or brown color. A bright yellow stripe along the dorsal surface is a characteristic feature of the larvae.
The larvae also have no hair. Newly hatched larvae can be found by looking for scratch marks on leaf surfaces. Since Spodoptera litura is nocturnal, the larvae feed at night. During the day, they can usually be found in the soil around the plant. There are six instar stages, and by the last stage, the final instar can weigh up to 800 mg.
Spodoptera litura larvae are voracious feeders on a wide range of crops causing significant damage to crops and reducing severe defoliation and yield loss
Its polyphagous nature and wide distribution make it a serious agricultural pest, prompting extensive control efforts in affected regions.
Phylum : Arthropoda
Class : Insecta
Order : Lepidoptera
Superfamily : Noctuoidea
Family : Noctuidae
Genus : Spodoptera
Species : S. litura
Binomial name : Spodoptera litura
Fabricius, 1775