''Hypocala deflorata'' 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 Erebidae. It was first described by

Johan Christian Fabricius Johan Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is co ...

in 1794. It is widespread from

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 Africa and to Australia and many

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

islands. Records include China,

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

, New Caledonia,

Rotuma Rotuma is a Fijian dependency, consisting of Rotuma Island and nearby islets. The island group is home to a large and unique Polynesian indigenous ethnic group which constitutes a recognisable minority within the population of Fiji, known as " ...

, Fiji,

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

, Norfolk Island and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Description

Full-grown larvae are about 45 mm. There is a green and a black form, as well as an intermediate form with a mostly black head, and much blackish mottling on the dorsal part. The pupa is about 22 mm in length and is medium dark brown. Pupation takes place in a cell in the soil, or beneath trash on the surface. The cell is supplied with a few fibers of silk. The pupal period is 13–17 days. In the adult, the head, thorax and forewings are pale violaceous grey. Hindwings with large orange area. Marginal black area reduced and the two orange spots conjoined. Ventral side black on forewing reduced to two bars, and that on hindwing also much reduced.

Ecology

The larvae feed on '' Diospyros pallens'', '' Diospyros villosa'', '' Diospyros dichrophylla'', '' Diospyros lycioides'', '' Maba sandwicensis'', ''

Royena ''Diospyros'' is a genus of over 700 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. Individual species valued for their hard, heavy, dark tim ...

'' and ''

Sapota ''Manilkara zapota'', commonly known as sapodilla (), sapote, naseberry, nispero or chicle, is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. An example natural occurrence is in coastal Yucatán in the ...

'' species.

Subspecies

*''Hypocala deflorata deflorata'' *''Hypocala deflorata australiae'' (Queensland, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Rotuma, Fiji, Samoa, Norfolk Island, New Zealand)

References

External links

* Hypocalinae Insects of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Insects of West Africa Insects of Uganda Moths of Asia Moths of Japan Insects of Tanzania Moths of New Zealand Moths of Africa {{Hypocalinae-stub