Argina astrea

Argina astrea, the crotalaria podborer, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Dru Drury in 1773. It is found in eastern Africa, southern Asia of India, Sri Lanka, and Indo-Australia, including the Pacific Islands and Australia.

"Crotalaria podborer" redirects here. For the other moth with this name, see Mangina argus.

Argina astrea
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Argina
Species:
A. astrea
Binomial name
Argina astrea
(Drury, 1773)
Synonyms
List
  • Argena astrea
  • Phalaena astrea Drury, 1773
  • Phalaena cribraria Clerck, 1764
  • Bombyx pylotis Fabricius, 1775
  • Deiopeia dulcis Walker, 1854
  • Xanthestes guttata Rambur, 1866
  • Argina notata Butler, 1877
  • Argina pylotes Butler, 1877
  • Alpenus multiguttatus C. Swinhoe, 1892
  • Argina perforata Seitz, 1914
  • Argina detersa Hulstaert, 1923
  • Lomaspilis pantheraria Felder, 1874

Description

The wingspan is about 40 mm. The species is extremely variable in wing pattern as well as ground colour. It differs from Mangina argus in the head, thorax and forewing being orange yellowish or whitish. The abdomen and hindwings are bright orange. Markings and spots are similar to its neighbor species.[1] The head of the caterpillar is reddish brown when fully grown. Its body is black with white intersegmental rings that contain broken black transverse lines. Spiracles are in orange patches.[2]

Ecology

The larvae feed on Crotalaria species. The species prefers secondary habitats ranging from the lowlands to the montane region.[3]

Subspecies
  • Argina astrea astrea (China (Yunnan, Hong Kong, Zhejiang, Guangdong), Taiwan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Philippines, Japan (Ryukyu), Indochina, Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, Oceania, eastern Africa, Ghana, Madagascar, Seychelles)
  • Argina astrea pardalina Walker, 1864 (eastern Africa, Madagascar)

References
  1. Hampson, G. F. (1894). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume II. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  2. Holloway, Jeremy Daniel. "Argina astrea Drury". The Moths of Borneo. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  3. Černý, Karel (January 3, 2011). "A Review of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) from the Philippines" (PDF). Entomofauna. 32 (3): 29–92.


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