Africa Wild Insect Book: Moths (Lepidoptera)

[BluTuna]

Cream-striped Owl Moth Cyligramma latona
Family: Noctuidae. Subfamily: Catocalinae
or: Family: Erebidae. Subfamily: Erebinae

© BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg

Description
It has a wingspan reaching 75–100 mm. Long-winged brown moth with white and dark lines and eyespots. The uppersides of the wings are brown, with a yellowish band crossing all the wings and a large eyespot on the forewings.

Distribution
Widespread and common in Subsaharan Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Habitat
Commonly seen in and around houses.

Biology
Very timid, easily scared. Flies low to the ground.
The larvae feed on Acacia species.

Eyespots
Eyespot patterns evolved in response to selective pressures and it has long been assumed that eyespots function in interspecific encounters, conferring protection from predators.
The two foremost hypotheses for the antipredator utility of eyespots are:
(1) that eyespots intimidate predators, by suggesting the appearance of the predator’s own enemies, allowing the prey to flee (the ‘intimidation hypothesis’)
(2) that eyespots draw the attacks of predators to non-vital regions of the body (the ‘deflection hypothesis’;
In the case of the intimidation hypothesis, an alternative suggestion to eye mimicry is that eyespots intimidate predators since they are highly conspicuous and contrasting features, appealing to the predators’ visual and psychological systems (the ‘conspicuous signal hypothesis’). Larger, more-or-less centrally placed eyespots may function in intimidation, whilst smaller, peripheral spots may be more effective in deflection.

Links: African Moths


Kruger National Park

© Hawkeyes
Jozini dam, KwaZulu-Natal

© nan
Kruger National Park

© Flutterby

[Toko]

Jigsaw Moth Dysgonia torrida
Family: Noctuidae. Subfamily: Catocalinae
or: Family: Erebidae. Subfamily: Erebinae

Dysgonia torrida.jpg (144.43 KiB) Viewed 1796 times

Nelspruit © Richprins


Marakele National Park, Tlopi camp

Description
Wingspan 42-43 mm. The forewings are dark brown, with a central broad whitish transverse band and a wide pale band along the margin. The forewing tips are dark.

Taxonomic Notes
The Noctuidae family of moths are often classified in the family Erebidae now. This re-classification has not yet met with general consensus, and many resources and publications still follow the older classification scheme and place it it the family Noctuidae.

Distribution
Paleotropical and subtropical. From Africa to Europe and the Oriental region.
Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Biology
Larval foodplants: Zea mays, Ricinus communis, Lantana, Malus pumila, Punica grantum.

Links: African Moths

[Toko]

Walker's Owl Moth Erebus macrops, Erebus walkeri
Family: Noctuidae. Subfamily: Catocalinae
or: Family: Erebidae. Subfamily: Erebinae

© mposthumus
Kruger National Park, Mooiplaas

Description
A very large moth with a wingspan of about 12 cm. Marked with two showy eyespots, outlined with black on the forewing.

Taxonomic Notes
E. macrops is regarded as E. walkeri in Africa.

Distribution
It is found in the subtropical regions of Asia and Africa: Angola, Cameroon, DRCongo, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, La Reunion, Madagacar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Found in the central and northern regions of South Africa.

Links: African Moths

© Duke
uMkhuze, KwaZulu-Natal

[Toko]

Stolid Lines Moth Grammodes stolida
Family: Noctuidae. Subfamily: Catocalinae
or: Family: Erebidae. Subfamily: Erebinae


Mashatu, Pete's Pond (Botswana)

Description
Wingspan 30-36 mm. Dark brown fore wing with two pale stripes. Hind wings grey, divided by white line.

Taxonomic Notes
The Noctuidae family of moths are often classified in the family Erebidae now. This re-classification has not yet met with general consensus, and many resources and publications still follow the older classification scheme and place it it the family Noctuidae.

Distribution
It is found in Africa, southern Europe, most of Asia and Australia.
Algeria, Botswana, Chad, DRCongo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, La Reunion, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

Biology
Larval foodplants: Coriaria myrtifolia, Linum usitatissimum

Links: African Moths

[Toko]

Moth Hypopyra africana
Family: Noctuidae. Subfamily: Catocalinae
or: Family: Erebidae. Subfamily: Erebinae


© Super Mongoose
Marakele National Park, Bontle campsite's bathroom

Description
Cryptically pale coloured moth with dark collar and noticeable tufts on the legs. Wings with straight pale subterminal line across and dark spots.

Distribution
Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa.

Links: African Moths

[Toko]

Green Drab Ophiusa tirhaca
Family: Noctuidae. Subfamily: Catocalinae
or: Family: Erebidae. Subfamily: Erebinae

© Michele Nel
Kruger National Park, Tamboti

Description
The adult moth has forewings basically which can be any colour between green and brown, each forewing having a darker broad irregular band along the margin, and a black mark about halfway along the costa. The hindwings are yellow, each having a broad but broken dark submarginal band. The wingspan is about 5 cm.

Distribution
Africa, SE Europe - S Asia, China, Australia

Habitat
Ophiusa tirhaca can reproduce in many subtropical to tropical habitat types.

Links: African Moths

[BluTuna]

Red Tail Moth Hypopyra capensis
Family: Noctuidae. Subfamily: Catocalinae
or: Family: Erebidae. Subfamily: Erebinae

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park

Description
Dark-brown moth with “leaf”-appearance and red abdomen.

Distribution
Angola, DRCongo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Habitat
Bushveld and tropical forest.

Links: African Moths

[wynand]

Sundowner Moth Sphingomorpha chlorea
Family: Noctuidae, Subfamily: Catocalinae
or: Family: Erebidae. Subfamily: Erebinae

© wynand
Riverine forest, Blyde River, Lowveld.

Description
Wingspan 60 mm. A brown moth with a cream-coloured stripe extending down the middle of the body.
Resembles the Hawkmoths (Sphingidae). Hence the genus name, Sphingomorpha.

Distribution
Woodland and forest.

Habitat
Widespread and common in Africa and southern Asia.

Biology
A variety of larval foodlplants, including Marula, Burkaea, "Acacias" and even Citrus. Adults attracted to overripe fruit, often settling on wine glasses, and helping themselves to a sip.

Links: AfricanMoths; EOL

© Tina
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Nossob camp

© harrys
Feeding on sweet chili sauce . Klein Kariba, Bela Bela/Warmbaths

[Toko]

Hadeninae is a subfamily of noctuoid moths, placed in family Noctuidae. The Hadeninae can best be defined as 'trifines with hairy eyes'.

[Toko]

Cherry Spot Moth Diaphone eumela
Family: Noctuidae. Subfamily: Hadeniinae

Description
Wingspan 36 mm. May be variable depending on location, but all generally share one common feature, which is the C shaped spot on the hindwing with a white outline. The forewings are smoky grey and white with two transverse black lines. The wingtips are dashed with yellow and black. In the Cape, the thorax is fluffy grey with 6 yellow spots.

Distribution
Widespread in sub-saharan Africa. Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Habitat
Open areas, wide range of vegetation types.

Biology
The larvae feed on lilies such as Ornithogalum, Ornithoglossum, Albuca and Scilla.

Larva
Length 3-4 cm or more. Stout; tapers slightly to anal end. Smooth. Ventral claspers four pairs. Ground colour cream, sometimes with a slightly greenish tinge. Head red, with two black marks behind the lobes. Each segment has a black, velvety, transverse band of very irregular width. The widest part is in dorsal area, where it forms two, almost rectangular patches, one on each side of the central line. Between these is a reddish blotch, bisected by a short, transverse line of the same colour. Each blotch is larger than the one in front of it. That on Segment 12 occupies almost the whole of the area that on the other segments is black. The black, transverse bands thicken also in the. lateral area; and again just above the claspers. There are black latero-dorsal spots at the segment-divisions; a ring of black spots on Segment 2, and another above the anal claspers. Legs black; claspers tawny red.

© General Gump
Larva

Links: African Moths