Hypercompe ocularia
Appearance
Ocularia leopard | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
Family: | Erebidae |
Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
Genus: | Hypercompe |
Species: | H. ocularia
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Binomial name | |
Hypercompe ocularia (Fabricius, 1775)
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Synonyms | |
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Hypercompe ocularia, the ocularia leopard, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.[1]
Description
[edit]This moth is a translucent-white colour, patterned with numerous brown, oval rings on the forewings.[1]
Distribution
[edit]It is found in Colombia,[2] Peru and Ecuador. This is a cloud-forest species found at elevations between about 200–1000 m.[1]
Biology
[edit]Moths of the genus Hypercompe are noxious to birds and exhibit warning colouration. When approached by a bird, these moths expose a coloured abdomen and exude noxious fluids as a defence mechanism.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Hoskins, Adrian. "Moths of the Amazon and Andes Ocularia Leopard". Learn About Butterflies. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ^ Savela, Markku. "Hypercompe ocularia (Fabricius, 1775)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul. "Search results Family: Arctiidae". Butterflies and Moths of the World. Natural History Museum, London.