Syntomoides imaon

Syntomoides imaon, the handmaiden moth, is a moth of subfamily Arctiinae, subtribe Ctenuchina. The systematics of the subfamily has been revised. It was described by Pieter Cramer in 1780. It is well distributed in Sikkim, Khasi hills and throughout India Kerala, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Hong Kong, Viet Nam.[2][3]

Handmaiden moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Erebidae
Subfamily:	Arctiinae
Genus:	Syntomoides
Species:	S. imaon
Binomial name
Syntomoides imaon (Cramer, 1780)[1]
Synonyms
Sphinx imaon Cramer, [1779] Syntomis godarti Boisduval, 1829 Syntomis fusiformis Walker, 1856 Syntomis approximata Walker, [1865] Syntomis libera Walker, [1865] Syntomis fytchei Moore, 1871 Syntomis cupreipennis Butler, 1876 Syntomis artina Butler, 1876 Syntomis sargania Butler, 1879 Syntomis mota Swinhoe, 1891 Ceryx godarti Ceryx imaon

Description

In Kanjirappally, Kerala.

The moth has a wingspan of 34 mm. The frons and collar are yellow with the metathorax having a yellow streak. The first abdominal segment has a yellow band which is sometimes obsolescent. The forewing has large hyaline patches, one filling the cell, another filling nearly the whole interno-median interspace, one at junction of veins 2 and 3, two subapical, and two submarginal. In the form S. i. sargania, there is a long streak between veins 5 and 6. In others it is reduced to a spot or may be lacking entirely. The hindwing has a postbasal hyaline patch extending hardly (or not at all) beyond the cell. The tips of the antennae and proximal joints of the tarsi are white. The spots of the forewing vary considerably in size. The male individual is slender and long abdomen than female.[4]

References

1. Savela, Markku. "Syntomoides imaon (Cramer, [1779])". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
2. "Syntomoides imaon Cramer comb. rev". The Moths of Borneo. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
3. "Syntomoides imaon Cramer, 1779". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
4. Hampson, G. F. (1892). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume I. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.