DISTRIBUTION:

Molippa malyi (wingspan: males: 64-67mm; females: // forewing length: males: 35-37mm; females: probably larger) flies in
Colombia: Putamayo.

This species is very similar to Molippa placidae, known from Ceara and Para, Brazil.

Molippa malyi is darker and larger than placida, and the forewing pm line, emanatating from the slightly reduced dark apical patch, is slightly closer to the outer margin near the apex in malyi. Otherwise DNA barcoding analysis might be necessary to distinguish them. The inner edge of the dark forewing cell mark is almost perpendicular to the line of the inner margin in malyi, whereas in placida it is much more oblique

FLIGHT TIMES AND PREFERRED FOOD PLANTS:

Molippa malyi larval hosts are unknown.

ECLOSION, SCENTING AND MATING:

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

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", honoura 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 "malyi" is honourific for collector Vladislov Maly of the Czech Republic.

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