Thursday 18 May 2017

Erebidae

ARCTIINAE; Chiromachla leuconae ( White bear) (Hopffer, 1857)



DISCRIPTION:
Medium size ( wingspan 52 mm), boldly coloured, forewings with single oblique cream stripe, hind wings white with black border, head and thorax black with white dots, antennae whip-like.







DISTRIBUTION:
Angola, Dr Congo, Ethiopia,Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique,South, Africa, Sudan,Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia,Zimbabwe.


BIOLOGY:
Adults fly slowly by night and settle on leaves. Larvae feed on  different species of Senecio and
coffee.



                                     Jacky Collier Ballito


Tuesday 16 May 2017

Crambidae

SPILOMELINAE: Nausinoe geometralis ( Measured Pearl) Guenee, 1854

DISCRIPTION:
Moth of the Crambidae family

                                                                   Photo: Paul Venter

                                                                                Paul Venter

DISTRIBUTION:
Dr Congo,Gambia,Ghana,kenya,La Reunion,Madagascar,Malawi,Mauritius, Mozambique,Sierra Leone,South Africa,Zambia,Zimbabwe.




                                                         Jacky Collier: Fourways

BIOLOGY:
Larval feed on Jasmin,Gardenia

























http://biostor.org/reference/149404

http://indiabiodiversity.org/species/show/268467

Monday 15 May 2017

Erebidae

ARCTIINAE:

Metarctia lateritia (Laterite matron) Schaffer 1855


DISCRIPTION:
Moth of the Arctiidae family.





DISTRIBUTION:
Angola,Botswana,Burundi,Cameroon,Dr Congo,Eritrea,Ethiopia,Kenya,Malawi,Mozambique,Rwada, South Africa,Tanzani,Uganda,Zambia,Zimbabwe




                           Photographer Unknown

BIOLOGY;
larval floodplants Senecio











Erebidae

ARCTIINAE: Cyana pretoriae ( Pretoria red lines) Distant, 1896


DISCRIPTION:
Small wingspan ( 30mm), distinctive with pure white wings and body, red spots on the head and thorax, yellow banded-legs, and two complete red bands on the fore wings.


                                        Paul Venter 



BIOLOGY;
Larvae feed on lichens, Ipomoea


                                        Manchester Museum
DISTRIBUTION;
Congo,Gabon,Kenya, Malawi,Mozambique,Somalia, South Africa,Tanzania, Uganda,Zambia,Zimbabwe.



















Erebiidae

ARCTIINAE: Apisa canescens ( Walker, 1855)

DESCRIPTION:
Is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Walker in 1855. Medium wingspan ( 50mm), with pale grey forewings and white hind wings, creamy white larvae with rows of long hairs in tufts.




DISTRIBUTION:
Angola, Congo,Djibouti,Eritrae,Ethiopia,Gabon,Kenya,Liberia,Mozambique,Namibia, Nigeria,Rwanda,Senegal,Sierra Leone, Somalia,South Africa,Sudan,Tanzania,Zambia,Zimbabwe



               JackyCollier, Hammerkop


LARVAL FLOODPLANTS:
Cosmos sulphureus, Fynbos to sub-tropical forest






BIOLOGY:
Adults are nocturnal
             Paul Venter: Magaliesburg, Hammerkop



Wednesday 10 May 2017

Noctuidae

AGARISTINAE> Aegocera  fervida (Fervid Tiger)


DISCRIPTION:



                                                                    Collector: Malcolm Bain

DISTRIBUTION:
Angola, Barundi,Cameroon,Congo, Ghana,kenya, Malawi, Mozambique,Namibia, South Africa,Tanzania, Uganda,Zambia, Zimbabwe.








Erebidae

ARCTIINAE> Popoudina lemniscata (Distant , 1898)

DISCRIPTION:
Popoudina is a genus of moth in the Erebidae Family. Formely the species of this genus were mistakenly included in Estigmene. Probably some species of the latter genus might belong to Popoudina.




DISTRIBUTION:
Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe

                                              Collector M Bain