''Berta chrysolineata'' is a species of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family

Geometridae The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''metro ...

described by Francis Walker in 1863. It is widespread from the Indo-Australian tropics of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, Sri Lanka to the Solomons.

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

is about 20–26 mm. Hindwings of male with the outer margin excised between veins 6 and 4. Veins 3 and 4 stalked. Hind tibia of the male dilated with a fold and tuft and two pairs on spurs. Hindwings of female excised. It is an olive-green moth with a rufous frons. Vertex of head whitish. Abdomen with white dorsal spots. Wings with many irregular white spots often conjoined into bands. Forewings with spots at base and end of cell. Antemedial, oblique medial, sinuous submarginal and almost marginal series of spots. Hindwings with spots on basal area and end of cell. A curved medial series, and sinuous postmedial and submarginal series. Ventral side white. Larvae have been recorded on ''

Ricinus communis ''Ricinus communis'', the castor bean or castor oil plant, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus, ''Ricinus'', and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of cas ...

''. Other food plants may include ''

Nephelium ''Nephelium'' is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae, native to southeastern Asia. They are evergreen trees with pinnately compound leaves, and edible drupaceous fruit; one species, ''N. lappaceum'' (rambu ...

'' species.

Subspecies

*''Berta chrysolineata chrysolineata'' (Sri Lanka) *''Berta chrysolineata hainanensis'' Prout, 1912 (India to Seram and possibly New Guinea) *''Berta chrysolineata eccimena'' Prout, 1912 (Bismarck Islands) *''Berta chrysolineata leucospilota'' (Turner, 1904) (Australia) *''Berta chrysolineata fenestrata'' (Prout, 1913) (Solomon Islands)

References

External links

The Moths of Borneo
Hemitheini Moths described in 1863 {{Geometrinae-stub