''Melinoessa fulvescens'' is a species of moth in the family Geometridae, native to

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

and

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

. It was described by Dru Drury in 1782 as ''Phalaena fulvata'', a name which was pre-occupied (see ''

Cidaria fulvata ''Cidaria fulvata'', the barred yellow, is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species is found The species is widespread in the Palearctic, in the west from Spain and France to the British Isles, in the east to the Central Asian mountains, t ...

''). The current, slightly different, specific name was given by L. B. Prout in 1916.

Description

Upper Side. Antennae setaceous and yellow.

Thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

and

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

yellow. Wings deep straw-coloured, the anterior having a small black spot placed near the middle of the anterior edges. A small narrow line of a silverish colour runs along the external edges of these wings, beginning near the tips, and continuing along the edges of the posterior ones, ends at the abdominal corners. Under Side. Breast, legs, and abdomen whiteish. Wings coloured as on the upper side, but dappled with minute reddish streaks. Margins of the wings entire. Wing-span somewhat more than 1½ inches (40 mm).

References

Ennominae Moths described in 1782 Descriptions from Illustrations of Exotic Entomology {{Ennominae-stub