Dysphania militaris
| Dysphania militaris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Tribe: | Dysphaniini |
| Genus: | Dysphania |
| Species: | D. militaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Dysphania militaris (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Dysphania militaris is a species of moth of the Geometridae family that is found from in the tropical regions of South and Southeast Asian countries such as China, Assam, Myanmar, Andaman Islands, Sumatra and Java.
Description
Wingspan is about 80-96mm. Fore wings of male produced, long and narrow. The fovea strongly developed. Head, thorax and abdomen golden yellowish with purplish bands. Fore wings with golden yellow basal half, the outer half deep purplish with its inner edge irregularly sinuous. Two oblique basal purple fascia, where the lower fascia sometimes having a spot detached from it. Two spots found on costa near base. There is an oblique antemedial series of three spots often conjoined. The outer area with two pale blue maculate bands, where the outer ending found at vein 3. Hind wings golden yellow, with a large purple discocellular spot and a spot below the cell. A postmedial lunulate band excurved between veins 3 and 5. A submarginal spot series becoming large conjoined lunulate patches at apex. The spots on the yellow area are very variable.[1]
Ecology
It flies during the day and because of its bright colours is often mistaken for a butterfly. Several similar species occur in the region and some are very closely related. Dysphania alloides described from the Andaman Islands was originally considered a subspecies.[2][3]
Larvae have been reported to feed on Carallia sp., Kandelia candel and Rhodomyrtus tomentosa plants.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Hampson G. F. (1892). "The Fauna Of British India Including Ceylon And Burma Moths Vol-iii". Digital Library of India. p. 558. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ↑ Prout, Louis R. (1916). "New Indo-Australian Geometridae". Novitates Zoologicae. 23: 191–227.
- ↑ Seitz, Adalbert (1915). Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde. Band 12: Die Indoaustralischen Spanner (in German). Stuttgart: Alfred Kernen. p. 63.
- ↑ Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS - A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London.