Biology:Asota caricae

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Short description: Species of moth

Tropical tiger moth
Asota caricae (Fabricius, 1775) (21229150039).jpg
Asota caricae (Noctuidae Aganainae).jpg
Scientific classification edit
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
  • Rothschild, 1897 Fabricius, 1775
  • Swinhoe, 1903 Psephea alciphron
  • Noctua caricae Cramer, [1777]
  • Asota euroa Asota anawa

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:

  • Asota caricae caricae Fabricius, 1775 (South East Asia, India , Bangladesh, Indonesia, China to Papua New Guinea[5])
  • Asota caricae euroa Rothschild, 1897 (Solomon Islands)[6][7]
  • Asota caricae melanesiensis Viette, 1951 (Melanesia)[7]

References

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q4807614 entry