DISTRIBUTION:

Molippa flavotegana (wingspan: males: 74-82mm ; females: 85-94mm // forewing length: males: 38-42mm; females: 46-48mm) flies in
Nicaragua: Jinotega (HT); Rio San Juan; at elevations of 60m to 1260m.

Many of the Molippa species are very similar in appearance, and DNA barcoding may be necessary for a proper determination.

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Specimens have been taken in September. There are probably additional flight months.

Molippa flavotegana larval hosts are unknown.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

Males use well-developed antennae to seek out females which scent at night.

Molippa flavotegana HT female, 85mm, Santa Maura, Jinotega, Nicaragua,
September 14, 2006, 1185m, ESs, on my home computer only.

EGGS, LARVAE, COCOONS, AND PUPAE:

Eggs are laid in clusters and larvae, which have urticating spines, feed gregariously.

Larval Food Plants

It is hoped that this alphabetical listing followed by the common name of the foodplant will prove useful. The list is not exhaustive. Experimenting with closely related foodplants is worthwhile.

The pronunciation of scientific names is troublesome for many. The "suggestion" at the top of the page is merely a suggestion. It is based on commonly accepted English pronunciation of Greek names and/or some fairly well accepted "rules" for latinized scientific names.

The suggested pronunciations, on this page and on other pages, are primarily put forward to assist those who hear with internal ears as they read.

There are many collectors from different countries whose intonations and accents would be different.

Some of the early describers/namers chose genus and species names indicating some character of the insect, but more often, they simply chose names from Greek or Roman mythology or history.

Those species names which end in "ensis" indicate a specimen locale, and those which end in "i", pronounced "eye", honour a contempory friend/collector/etc.

I do not know the source of or reason for the genus name "Molippa" chosen by Walker in 1855.

The species name "flavotegana" might be indicative of a yellowish tint or marking, with the latter part of the name indicating a specimen type location in Jinotega, Nicaragua.

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