Rhodogastria amasis

Tri-coloured tiger moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subtribe: Spilosomina
Genus: Rhodogastria
Species: R. amasis
Binomial name
Rhodogastria amasis
(Cramer, 1779)
Synonyms
  • Phalaena amasis Cramer, [1779]
  • Noctua serici Thunberg, 1781
  • Chelonia erythronota Boisduval, 1847
  • Aloa delineata Walker, 1855
  • Munychia callipyga Wallengren, 1858
  • Bombyx thunbergii Guérin-Méneville, 1862

Rhodogastria amasis, the tri-coloured tiger moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae. It was described by Cramer in 1779. It is found in Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.[1]

Larva

The larvae feed on Acacia, Calodendrum, Cassia, Cestrum, Clerodendrum, Cotyledon, Passiflora caerulea, Rhus, Senecio, and Tagetes species.[2] Though they are heavily armed with irritant urticating hairs they are readily eaten by fiscal flycatchers and Cape robin-chats that scrub off their hairs against the ground and swallow the larvae whole. Some cuckoos eat the larvae too.

References

  1. ↑ Afro Moths
  2. ↑ Rhodogastria at funet


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