| Brahmaea japonica | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Brahmaeidae |
| Genus: | Brahmaea |
| Species: | B. japonica |
| Binomial name | |
| Brahmaea japonica (Butler, 1873) | |
Brahmaea japonica, the Japanese owl moth, is a species of moth of the Brahmaeidae family native to Japan.
The wingspan is 80–115 mm. [1] The male is smaller than the female. The wings are wide with a rounded outer edge. The background of the wings is brown to black. The wing pattern is represented by concentric alternating wavy light and dark lines at the root and in the distal half of the wings, as well as a sinuous marginal border. The pattern is represented by a large number of light wavy lines. On the forewing, the M2 vein originates slightly below the R-Cu apex of the wing cell; its base is 3–5 times closer to the base of M1 than to M3. Antennae pinnate, with 2 pairs of outgrowths on each segment; in females, the outgrowths are much shorter. Caterpillars feed on plants of the genus Privet (Ligustrum) from the olive family (Oleaceae).
It is sometimes treated as a subspecies of Brahmaea wallichii .
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea, which contains at least one former group, the skippers, and the most recent analyses suggest it also contains the moth-butterflies. Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene, about 56 million years ago.
Lepidoptera is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described species of living organisms. It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world. The Lepidoptera show many variations of the basic body structure that have evolved to gain advantages in lifestyle and distribution. Recent estimates suggest the order may have more species than earlier thought, and is among the four most speciose orders, along with the Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera.
The small fan-footed wave is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Johann Siegfried Hufnagel in 1767.
Tirumala limniace, the blue tiger, is a butterfly found in South Asia, and Southeast Asiathat belongs to the crows and tigers, that is, the danaid group of the brush-footed butterfly family. This butterfly shows gregarious migratory behaviour in southern India. In some places, it may be found in congregations with Danaus genutia, Tirumala septentrionis, Euploea sylvester, Euploea core, Parantica aglea, and at high elevations, with Parantica nilgiriensis, on Crotalaria.
Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments, and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwings, respectively, though a few insects lack hindwings, even rudiments. The wings are strengthened by a number of longitudinal veins, which often have cross-connections that form closed "cells" in the membrane. The patterns resulting from the fusion and cross-connection of the wing veins are often diagnostic for different evolutionary lineages and can be used for identification to the family or even genus level in many orders of insects.
This glossary of entomology describes terms used in the formal study of insect species by entomologists.
Scopula imitaria, the small blood-vein, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1799 and it is found throughout Europe and in North Africa.
Parascotia fuliginaria, the waved black, is a species of moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in Europe as far east as the Ural Mountains, in Armenia and Asia Minor, and is an introduced species in North America.
Brahmaea wallichii, also known as the owl moth, is a moth from the family Brahmaeidae, the Brahmin moths, and one of its largest species. It is found in the north of India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Taiwan, and Japan. The owl moth is nocturnal. The wingspan is about 90–160 millimetres.
Hydrelia sylvata, the waved carpet, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found throughout the temperate parts of the Palearctic realm.
The external morphology of Lepidoptera is the physiological structure of the bodies of insects belonging to the order Lepidoptera, also known as butterflies and moths. Lepidoptera are distinguished from other orders by the presence of scales on the external parts of the body and appendages, especially the wings. Butterflies and moths vary in size from microlepidoptera only a few millimetres long, to a wingspan of many inches such as the Atlas moth. Comprising over 160,000 described species, the Lepidoptera possess variations of the basic body structure which has evolved to gain advantages in adaptation and distribution.
Cleora cinctaria, the ringed carpet, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found from Europe to southern Siberia, Turkey, the Caucasus, central Asia and Mongolia. It is also found in Japan.
Ichneutica plena is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is widespread throughout the North, South and Stewart Islands. It is a variable in appearance and therefore can be confused with its near relatives I. peridotea and I. insignis. The larvae of I. plena feed on herbaceous plants including Fuchsia excorticata, Coprosma species, and introduced species such as garden fuchsia as well as crops such as apple trees. Adults of this species are on the wing from late August until May.
Pasiphila bilineolata is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the North and South Islands. The species inhabits native forest and shrubland and the larvae feed on Hebe species. Adults are on the wing commonly from August to January but have been observed most months of the year and are attracted to light.
Homodotis megaspilata, also known as the small hooked-tip looper moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found throughout the country. It is regarded as being common species. The preferred habitat of this species is native forest, scrub, coastal areas and domestic gardens. Larvae feed on the dead leaves of Geniostoma ligustrifolium and likely other native plants. Once mature the larvae will pupate on the ground forming a silken cocoon protected by hiding inside two leaves of its host plant. Adults are nocturnal and are on the wing from October to April. They are attracted to light. In appearance the adults of this species are extremely variable but can be distinguished from similar species as all variations have forewings with blunt hook shaped tips.
Thysania zenobia, the owl moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1776, and is native to North and South America and the Caribbean.
Austramathes fortis is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in both the North and the South Islands but has yet to be recorded at Stewart Island. It can be found in shrubland containing its host species at a range of altitudes from sea-level up to 1840 m. The larvae of this moth feed on several Melicytus species including M. crassifolius, M. alpinus, M. macrophyllus and M. novae-zelandiae. The larvae pupate in a cocoon of silk at the base of its host plant. It can take between 25 and 45 days before the adult moth emerges. Adults can be found on the wing during the months of July to March. The adults tend to be on the wing in twilight hours but have also been known to be active during the late afternoon. They are attracted to light but this behaviour may limit the number seen at light traps. The distinguishing feature of this moth is the curved black line at the base of its forewing. This species is unlikely to be confused with any other species in its range but it is very similar in appearance to A. squaliolus. However this latter species is only found on the Chatham Islands.
Hydriomena iolanthe is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It is indigenous to New Zealand. This species is based on a single specimen that is now lost and has not been matched to any known species. As such it is classified as data deficient by the Department of Conservation.
Trachypepla contritella, the Kiwi Enigma, is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae. Originally endemic to New Zealand this species can be found throughout that country. However, from 2012 this species has been also been recorded in the United Kingdom. The preferred habitat of T. conritella is New Zealand native forest and larvae of this species are litter leaf feeders. Adults are on the wing from November to February in New Zealand and are attracted to light.
Ptychandra is a butterfly genus in the subfamily Satyrinae within the family Nymphalidae. Ptychandra was first described by Cajetan Felder and Rudolf Felder in 1861. The genus comprises eight species, seven found in the Philippines with an additional species found on the island of Borneo. It is remarkable for the fact that it is one of a few genera to have undergone evolutionary radiation in the Philippine archipelago, with most other species being migrants from the Asian mainland.
Butterflies and Moths - Alfred Werner, Viking Press, 1970, Page 138.
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