Africa Wild Insect Book: Moths (Lepidoptera)

[Toko]

Crimson Speckled Footman Utetheisa pulchella (Lappieskombers)
Family: Erebidae. Subfamily: Arctiinae

© Kesheshe

© Kesheshe

© Kesheshe
Kruger National Park

Description
It is a day-flying, slender, medium-sized moth, with a wing span of approximately 35 mm. The fore wings are narrow, white or cream coloured with a variable pattern of numerous small black spots located between the larger-sized bright red spots. The hindwings are wide, white, with an irregular black border along the outer edge and two black markings in the middle of the cell. The head and thorax range from cream colour to buff yellow, with the same pattern as the wings. The antennae are long and monofiliform. The abdomen is smooth, with a white background.

Distribution
It is found in Africa, Southern Europe, Central and Southern Asia and Australia.
Southern Africa: Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Habitat
Common and may be found in large numbers in a variety of different habitats, occours also in weedy fields, gardens and agricultural land.

Links: African Moths

[BluTuna]

Speckled Grey Footman Siccia caffra
Family Erebidae. Subfamily Arctiinae

© BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg

Distribution
Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe.

Links: African Moths

[Toko]

Lymantriinae (Tussock Moths or Gypsy Moths) is a subfamily of noctuoid moths, placed in family Erebridae. The taxon was was formerly considered a family (Lymantriidae) in the superfamily Noctuoidea , but was set by Lafontaine and Fibiger (2006) for a revision of the superfamily to subfamily level of Noctuidae .
Lymantriinae are distinguished by a strongly reduced proboscis. Medium-sized moths with broad white, cream or yellow wings, both pairs similarly coloured and often translucent. Fore wings broad, hind wings rounded. Usually white, cream or yellow. Abdomen of female ends in thick, blunt tuft. Females are typically larger than males. Some, e.g. Aroa and Notolophus have wingless, very grub-like females. Abdomen and thorax are densely covered in barbed hairs. Antennae one third body length, comb-like in male, simple in female.
Larvae have 4 neat hair tufts ('hair pencils') on the abdomen, usually two anterior and two to three posterior long hair tufts. The larvae of many genera feed on arboreal hosts and are frequently polyphagous, and many lymantriines are major forest pests, defoliating large areas.

[BluTuna]

Four Dotted Sulphur Moth Crorema adspersa
Family: Erebridae. Subfamily: Lymantriinae

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park

Description
The antennae of the male are conspicuously feathered, and there are vague dots on the pale yellowish wings.

Distribution
Angola, Cameroon, DRCongo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Links: African Moths

[BluTuna]

Modest Gypsy Morasa modesta
Family: Erebridae. Subfamily: Lymantriinae

© BluTuna
Male, Garden in Johannesburg

Description
Body stout. Antennae less than half of the length of the body.
Sexually dimorphic. Female larger.
Male: Brown, abdomen red or orange; forewing with peculiar white central marking; hindwing white with brown margin.
Female: Brown. Forewings wiih white dots at the base, with an oblique white streak on the discal areolet; two very slender bands of whitisg dots. Hindwing whitish with pale brownish borders.

Distribution
Angola, DRCongo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.


Biology
Larval food plants: Rhus laevigata, Rhus pyroides, Rhus villosa, Sclerocarya birrea, Sclerocarya caffra, Maerua hoehnelii

Links: African Moths

[BluTuna]

Figtree Moth Naroma varipes, Hysibada varipes
Family: Lymantriidae. Subfamily: Lymantrinae.

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park

Description
Wingspan 28 mm. White hindwings and creamy white forewings with a row of dark dots.

Distribution
Widespread in Tropical Africa (Cameroon, DRCongo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, South Africa, eSwatini, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe).

Habitat
Bushveld and subtropical forest.

Biology
Larval food plant: Moraceae.

Links: African Moths

[Toko]

Family Geometridae (Loopers or Geometers)
This large family contains mostly medium-sized moths which have large, broad forewings, often crossed by thin wavy lines. When at rest, many geometrid moths hold their wings away from the body and flat against the substrate (in contrast to most noctuid moths, which tend to fold their wings over their abdomen). They tend to blend in to the background. Geometrids have a slender body and small thorax. An important feature of the family is the presence of tympanal organs (‘ears’) at the base of the abdomen. Antennae roughly half body length, varying from thin to broad and comb-like.
Larvae have only two pairs of prolegs (at the hind end) rather than the usual five pairs in most lepidoptera; the lack of prolegs in the middle of the body necessitates the peculiar method of locomtion, they crawl by looping their bodies when the rear end is brought forward (drawing the hind end up to the thoracic legs to form a loop), and then stretching out the front end again.

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Ennominae is the largest and, morphologically, most diversified subfamily of the geometer moth family (Geometridae). The lack of an M2 vein in the hindwing is the distinguishing characteristic of the subfamily.

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Geometrinae is a subfamily of geometrid moths, placed in family Geometridae. These small moths are often a light bluish green, leading to the common name of emerald moths. Most emeralds can be described by some combination of these general characteristics: Abdomen: plain, white dorsal stripe or white spots ringed with red. Traverse lines: smooth, wavy or scalloped, and whether bold or thin. Wings: Forewings pointed or rounded, hindwings angled or rounded, with discal spots or without. Fringe: pale green, pale white or red; plain or checkered.

Links: African Moths - Geometrinae

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Geometrine Emerald Moth
Superfamily Geometroidea. Family Geometridae. Subfamily Geometrinae

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park, Maroela camp