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Updated as per Lemaire's Hemileucinae 2002, June 14, 2009 Updated as per personal communication with Robert Lehman (La Ceiba, Honduras); January 1, 2010 Updated as per personal communication with Norm Smith (Las Cuevas, Cayo, Belize); January 23, 2010 Updated as per Entomo Satsphingia Jahrgang 4 Heft 4 21.10.2011; March 31, 2012 |
Molippa ninfa male, (most likely M. ninfaustralica), copyright Kirby Wolfe
TAXONOMY:Superfamily: Bombycoidea, Latreille, 1802 |
ChiquititaON.OFF |
This moth looks like a very small Molippa rosea, but, unlike M. rosea, it has a slightly lunulate postmedian line.
Molippa ninfaustralica HT male, 50mm, Quintana Roo, Mexico,
July 9, 2005, 20m, on my home computer only.
Brechlin and Meister indicate that on average Molippa ninfa is larger than M. ninfaustralica, and the am and pm lines of M. ninfa are less proximate than those of M. ninfaustralica. The cell marks of ninfa are thus also closer to the pm lines.
In the image of M. ninfaustralica that is presented in the Entomo Satsphingia journal, the forewing am and pm lines are almost touching where they meet the inner margin.
The image at the top of the page from Mexico seems more like M. ninfaustralica due to proximity of lines and discal marks.If the above assessments are true, then the two species are probably sympatric through most of their respective ranges. It will be interesting to see if the reported size difference (largest ninfaustralica is smaller than smallest ninfa), and the proximity of the lines to each other and to the cell mark remain valid indicators of species. Those apparent differences could be due to camera angles?
Robert Lehman reports an August flight in Honduras.
Molippa ninfa male, (most likely M. ninfaustralica), La Ceiba, Atlantida, Honduras,
55mm, August 17, 2007, 120m, courtesy of Robert Lehman.
Molippa ninfa larva, (most likely M. ninfaustralica), copyright protected, Kirby Wolfe.
Molippa ninfa larva, (most likely M. ninfaustralica), copyright protected, Kirby Wolfe.
Robinia....... |
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