Categories
MothsSouth Africa
about 5 cm long, found on the bark of a big tree, Northeast of Limpopo Province (near Kruger Park). I thank you for your help,
Regards
Ingrid
South Africa
Hi Ingrid,
We believe this is a Tiger Moth in the family Arctiidae, but we do not know the species. It sure is a beautiful moth.
Update: (02/06/2007) South Africa
Hi there,
I found from on the website of the South African Museum in Cape Town the answer: it is ASOTA SPECIOSA (specious Tiger) (Drury 1773) “Latex sabotage: Caterpillars of Asota Speciosa feed on fig trees which have a sticky milky latex that poses both physical (gumming up the caterpillar’s mouth parts) and chemical hindrances for herbivores. The caterpillars sabotage the latex flow by chewing into the leaf veins on the underside of the leaf (where these veins are more prominent than on the upper surface) This action interrupts the flow of latex. The caterpillar then feeds on the parts of the leaf that would have been provided with latex via the sabotaged veins.”
Ingrid
South Africa
I like ThisRelated Posts
-
(04/04/2008)Pleasant Hornet Moth from South Africa -
(02/11/2008)Possibly Giant Twig Wilter nymph from So... -
(03/26/2007)Cabbage Tree Emperor Moth from South Afr... -
(01/07/2009)Crab Spider eats unknown Moth in South A...
Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You can also subscribe without commenting.
Post a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.