Subject: is that bee or butterfly?
Location: Borneo
June 4, 2013 4:35 am
Hi, my friend found that on Borneo and we cannot find what is is, does anybody know if it´s dangerous or harmless?
Thanks
Signature: Catherine
Hi Catherine,
This is neither a bee nor a butterfly. It is a moth, more specifically, Dysphania sagana, a member of the family Geometridae, which we first found on this blog and verified on the Moths of Borneo website. We suspected it to be a diurnal moth, and this was confirmed on this Indonesian blog that also pictures the caterpillar. The Siam Insect Zoo website also has some photos, but they have fewer spots than the image you submitted. A drawing of a related species, Dysphania militaris, is also included, and that might be the moth you have submitted. That seems to be confirmed with the Butterfly from Rejang Lang site. We cannot be certain of the species, but we believe we have the genus correct. There are nice photos of Dysphania militaris on the Critters Page.