''Eumelea ludovicata'' is a

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 first described by Achille Guenée in 1858. It is found in 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 Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, east to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

and

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Biology

The adult has a fluttering, erratic flight. The male is more reddish, whereas female is yellowish. The caterpillar has a cylindrical yellowish-white body with many longitudinal lines. Setae minute and spiracles greenish. Its round-shaped head is yellowish white with rusty markings. Hairs are present, which are short, erect and thick. Host plant is always '' Macaranga'' species. Pupa elongate with semi-elliptical, flattened cremaster. Pupal case for the proboscis and antennae extends free. Caterpillar resting straight at 60 degrees to the leaf surface, which is often confused as a twig. Pupation occurs between two leaves fastened together coated inside with silk.

Subspecies

Eight subspecies have been recognized. *''Eumelea ludovicata biclarata'' Prout, 1931 *''Eumelea ludovicata cupreata'' Warren, 1897 *''Eumelea ludovicata enantia'' Prout, 1921 *''Eumelea ludovicata fulvida'' Prout, 1921 *''Eumelea ludovicata referta'' Prout, 1931 *''Eumelea ludovicata rhodeogyna'' Prout, 1925 *''Eumelea ludovicata rubra'' Prout, 1921 *''Eumelea ludovicata salomonis'' Prout, 1921

Gallery

V34-20170624-018 (38789392682).jpg, Male dorsal side V33-20170811-082 (37167709896).jpg, Female dorsal side Eumelea ludovicata (27254800696).jpg, Underside File:Eumelea ludovicata @ Kanjirappally 02.jpg, dorsal side File:Eumelea ludovicata @ Kanjirappally 01.jpg, underside

References

External links

Final instar caterpillar and metamorphosis of ''Eumelea ludovicata'' Guenee, 1857, in Singapore
Moths of Asia Moths described in 1858 {{Geometridae-stub