Tropical tiger moth
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Genus: Asota
Species:
A. caricae
Binomial name
Asota caricae
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Noctua caricae Fabricius, 1775
  • Psephea alciphron Cramer, [1777]
  • Asota euroa Rothschild, 1897
  • Asota anawa Swinhoe, 1903

Asota caricae, the tropical tiger moth,[1] is a species of noctuoid moth in the family Erebidae. It is found from the Indo-Australian tropics of India and Sri Lanka to Queensland and Vanuatu.

Description

The wingspan is 51–58 mm. Palpi with black spots on 1st and 2nd joints. Forewings brownish fuscous. There is a basal orange patch with two subbasal black spots and a series of three spots on its outer edge, that matches the coloration of the scales of the thorax. The veins are streaked with white. There is a white spot at lower angle of the discal cell. Hindwings are orange yellow, with a black spot at the end of the discal cell, one beyond, one below vein 2 and a submarginal irregular series which sometimes becomes a nearly complete marginal band. The veins crossing the band are yellowish. Larva black above, with two dorsal white bands, a sub-dorsal black spot on each somite. A series of lateral black specks present with sparse black hairs. Ventral coloration brown, head capsule is reddish.[2]

Ecology

The larvae have been recorded on Ficus, Broussonetia, Mesua, Tectona and Shorea species. Pupation is in a slight cocoon, fixed to a leaf. The species is found in forest and agricultural areas.[3][4]

Asota caricae caricae larva

Subspecies

There are three described subspecies:

References

  1. ↑ "Occurrence record map of Asota caricae". The Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Hampson, G. F. (1892). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume I. Vol. Moths - Vol. I. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. ↑ "Asota caricae Fabricius". The Moths of Borneo. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Asota caricae Fabricius". ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Asota caricae caricae New Guinea". The Papua Insects Foundation.
  6. ↑ "Asota caricae euroa". Barcode Of Life Database Systems.
  7. 1 2 "Subspecies of Asota caricae Fabricius". Insecta Pro.


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