Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Superfamily Noctuoidea Scientific name Utetheisa pulchelloides | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Family Erebidae Rank Species | |
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Similar Utetheisa lotrix, Utetheisa, Nyctemera, Mocis frugalis, Argina astrea | ||
Utetheisa pulchelloides (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 and most of Australia.
Contents
Adults undertake extensive and frequent migratory flights and can reach the most remote oceanic islands, such as Henderson Island and Ducie Island.
Description
Hind wing 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. Fore wing white with five interrupted scarlet bands with series of black spots between them. A marginal series of black spots present. Hind wings 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.
Ecology
The larvae feed on Argusia argentea, Echium plantagineum, Heliotropium arborescens and Myosotis arvensis.
Subspecies
Utetheisa salomonis (including the former Utetheisa pectinata ruberrima) may also belong into this species.