''Thysania zenobia'', the owl moth, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 ...

in the family Erebidae. The species was first described by

Pieter Cramer Pieter Cramer (21 May 1721 (baptized) – 28 September 1776), was a wealthy Dutch merchant in linen and Spanish wool, remembered as an entomologist. Cramer was the director of the Zealand Society, a scientific society located in Flushing, and a mem ...

in 1776, and is native to North and South America and the Caribbean.

Description

Upperside: Antennae setaceous and dark brown. Head the same.

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 to ...

grey: having a tuft of black hairs standing between them. General colour grey, faintly tinged with red. Anterior wings with a remarkable irregular black bar running from the tips to the shoulders, crossing the thorax horizontally, and parallel with the anterior edges; on the middle of this edge is a triangular dark brown spot edged with black, and nearer the body is a smaller one of the same shape and colour: a second narrower black line is situate about half an inch below, and parallel with the first, rising on the posterior edges, and extending across the wings almost to the external ones. Posterior wings with a black irregular bar arising near the external corners, and crossing them in a straight direction, meeting at the extremity of the abdomen; just above this, and almost close to it, is a very small and narrow waved black line running parallel with it, but towards the end suddenly turns off, and reaches the anterior edges. Besides the above markings there are a number of lighter and darker shades interspersed on the different parts of the wings. Underside:

Palpi Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") and ...

reddish, the extremities brown. Tongue spiral. Legs dark brown, mottled with red. Breast, abdomen, and sides red. Wings greyish red, with black indented lines and bars running parallel with the edges of the wings, and regularly placed one above another. Anterior wings having a black spot near their centre shaped like a kidney bean, with a small round one at a little distance nearer the body. Posterior having likewise a small black spot about half an inch from the base. Margins of the wings rather deeply scolloped. Wingspan inches (140 mm). Illustrations of Exotic Entomology Phalaena Zenobia.jpg, Illustration by

Dru Drury Dru Drury (4 February 1724 – 15 December 1803) was a British collector of natural history specimens and an entomologist. He had specimens collected from across the world through a network of ship's officers and collectors including Henry Sme ...

dorsal Illustrations of Exotic Entomology Phalaena Zenobia under.jpg, Illustration by Dru Drury
ventral Thysania zenobia, male.JPG, Mounted male

References

Thermesiini Moths described in 1776 Descriptions from Illustrations of Exotic Entomology Taxa named by Pieter Cramer {{Erebinae-stub

Description

See also

References