Nepita

For the genus of water scorpion, see Nepitella (genus).
Footman Moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Arctiidae
Genus: Nepita
Moore, 1860
Species: N. conferta
Binomial name
Nepita conferta
(Walker, 1854)
Synonyms
  • Asura conferta Walker, 1854
  • Pitane conferta Walker, 1854
  • Nepita anila Moore, [1860]
  • Nepita signata Walker, [1865]
  • Nepita aegrota Butler, 1877
  • Nepita ochracea Butler, 1877
  • Nepita limbata Butler, 1877
  • Nepita conferta var. fusca Hampson, 1893

Nepita is a genus of moth in the family Arctiidae. The genus consists of only one species, Nepita conferta, which can be found in India and Sri Lanka.[1] The species commonly called Footman Moth.[2]

Description

Palpi porrect, extending beyond the frons, and fringed with hair below. Antennae roughly scaled. Tibia with long spurs. Fore wings are broad and short. Veins 3 to 5 from close to angle of cell and vein 6 from below upper angle. Veins 7 to 9 stalked and vein 11 anastomosing with vein 12. Hind wings with stalked vein 4 and 5 and 6 and 7. From 8 from beyond middle of cell.[3]

Male antennae bipectinated with short branches. Head and thorax orange, where thorax with black spots. Abdomen black, orange below and at extremity. Fore wings orange with some black marks at base. Antemedial and medial bands are curved and waved, which coalesce at median nervure. There is a black spot on discocellulars. The post medial band is waved and excurved round end of cell. A series of submarginal spots and streaks present, often conjoined into a band. Margin and cilia are black. Hind wings have orange base, and a broad marginal black band. The spots and streaks differ in each region of the moth survives, where the limbata and ochracea forms have narrow bands on fore wings. Forms conferta, aegrota, anila has broad bands on fore wings. fusca from Sri Lanka is brown suffused. These difference gave earlier division of the species into many binomials.[4]

Larva purplish black in color, and short, tumid in shape. Each somite thickly covered with long black hair tufts. 1st, 7th and anal somites possess dorsal orange marks. There is a slender line runs from 7th to anal somite.

Ecology

Often found in wet, moist habitats and larva mostly feed on mosses and lichen. Highly adaptable to domestic conditions, caterpillars are found along walls in rainy seasons.[5]

References

  1. ↑ LepIndex
  2. ↑ "Footman Moth". Project Noah. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Hampson G. F. (1892). "The Fauna Of British India Including Ceylon And Burma Moths Vol-ii". Digital Library of India. p. 558. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  4. ↑ "Nepita conferta Walker (1854)". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "Nepita conferta (Walker)". ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
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