| Heady maiden | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
| Genus: | Amata |
| Species: | A. cerbera |
| Binomial name | |
| Amata cerbera (Linnaeus, 1764) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Amata cerbera, the heady maiden, is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1764. It has an extensive range in sub-Saharan Africa.
It is found in Angola, the DRC, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. [1]
The larvae feed on Rumex , Corylus , Plantago and Rubus species, but have also been recorded feeding on various grasses (including Festuca and Anthoxanthum ) as well as Thapsia , Taraxacum , Urtica and Sonchus species, and even hay and paper.
Upperside: Antennae and head black. Thorax and abdomen shining blueish green; the latter having on the middle three rings of scarlet extending from side to side, but not meeting underneath. Anterior wings dark green, with six transparent spots like glass on them; the smallest, near the base, is round; three others, placed next the external margin, are oblong; the other two, which are in the middle, are oval and triangular. Posterior wings dark green, with two transparent spots; the largest next the shoulders; the other, which is round and small, beyond the middle.
Underside: Breast, abdomen, and legs shining mazarine blue, inclining to green; on the former is a small red spot, close to the shoulders of the superior wings. The hinder legs have one joint white. Wings of the same colour as on the upper side. [2]
Hemaris thysbe, the hummingbird clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae (hawkmoths). Coloration varies between individuals, but typically the moth is olive green and burgundy on its back, and white or yellow and burgundy on the underside. Its wings are transparent with a reddish-brown border. It has light-colored legs, which combined with the lack of striping on the underside is diagnostic. Beating its wings rapidly, H. thysbe hovers to collect nectar from a variety of flowers. The combination of its appearance and its behavior commonly leads to it being confused with a hummingbird or bumblebee.
The nine-spotted moth or yellow belted burnet is a moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Rhodometra sacraria, the vestal, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae.
Utetheisa pulchella, the crimson-speckled flunkey, crimson-speckled footman, or crimson-speckled moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Cephonodes hylas, the coffee bee hawkmoth, pellucid hawk moth or coffee clearwing, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. A widely distributed moth, it is found in the Near East, Middle East, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia.
Dactyloceras lucina is a species of very large moth of the family Brahmaeidae. It is found in central and west Africa, where it has been recorded from Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1782.
Acraea natalica, the Natal acraea, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae, which is native to East and southern Africa.
Theretra capensis is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from woodland and open habitats from the Cape to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique and East Africa.
Oraesia emarginata is a species of moth of the family Erebidae first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1794. It is found in Australia, New Caledonia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea and Nepal as well as Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, the Gambia, Uganda, Oman and Yemen.
Acraea egina, the elegant acraea, is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae with an extensive range in sub-Saharan Africa.
Cynandra opis, the brilliant nymph, is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Cynandra. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Tanzania. The habitat consists of dense forests.
Chrysops caecutiens, common name splayed deer fly, is a species of horse fly belonging to the family Tabanidae. It is also known by the colloquial name Scotch Cleg.
Scopula helcita is a moth of the family Geometridae first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 Centuria Insectorum. It is found in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Uganda.
Eutricha capensis, the Cape lappet moth, is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae primarily found in South Africa. During the larval stage, Cape lappets feed on a wide variety of African plants and can often be found aggregating in gardens. The caterpillars are brightly coloured and conspicuously hairy, while the bulky adult moths are mostly brown and much less striking in appearance.
Amata velatipennis is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1864. It is found in Ethiopia and Somalia.
Pitthea famula is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It was first described by Dru Drury in 1773 from Calabar, in what is now Nigeria. It is found in Angola, Benin, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko), Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Zambia.
Crameria is a monotypic moth genus in the family Noctuidae erected by Jacob Hübner in 1819. Its only species, Crameria amabilis, was first described by Dru Drury in 1773.
Otroeda cafra is a species of moth in the tussock-moth subfamily Lymantriinae. It was first described by Dru Drury in 1782 from Sierra Leone, and is also found in Cameroon, DR Congo, Malawi, and Nigeria.
Pseudobunaea alinda is a species of very large moths in the family Saturniidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1782, and is found in Angola, Cameroon, Congo, DR Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.
Lobobunaea phaedusa is a species of very large moths in the family Saturniidae. It is found in much of sub-saharan Africa, where its host plants include African custard-apple, crown-berry, and Aframomum spp.