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





Thursday 4 May 2017

Notodontiidae

DICRANURINAE: Desmeocraera basalis ( Basal prominent)



DISTRIBUTION:
Angola, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe






Notodontiidae

PHALERINAE: Antheua encausta ( Scorched frill)


DISCRIPTION:
Antheua is a genus of moths in the Notodontidae family





DISTRIBUTION:
Angola, Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe


                                                                           Collector: M Bain


Noctuidae

ACONTIINAE: Acontia caffraria  (Caffraria droplet)

Acontia Is a genus of moths of the Noctuidae family. Eusceptis, Pseudalypia and Spragueia are sometimes included in the present genus, but they are tentatively treated as different pending further research. Many species of Tarachne were also once placed there.

                                                        Collector M Bain


DISTRIBUTION:
Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania

DISCRIPTION:
Palpi long porrect and met by a short frontal tuft. Third joint prominent. Antennae simple. Thorax and abdiman smoothly scaked and tuftless. Forewings with non- creulate cilla. Veins 7.8 and 9,10 stalked. Larva possess four abdominal prolegs.