Hypercompe ocularia

Hypercompe ocularia, the ocularia leopard, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.[1]

Ocularia leopard
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Hypercompe
Species:
H. ocularia
Binomial name
Hypercompe ocularia
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Bombyx ocularia Fabricius, 1775
  • Ecpantheria cyaneator Walker, [1865]
  • Ecpantheria columbina Oberthür, 1881
  • Ecpantheria distans Oberthür, 1881

Description

This moth is a translucent-white colour, patterned with numerous brown, oval rings on the forewings.[1]

Distribution

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

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

  1. Hoskins, Adrian. "Moths of the Amazon and Andes Ocularia Leopard". Learn About Butterflies. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  2. Savela, Markku. "Hypercompe ocularia (Fabricius, 1775)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
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