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Dycladia Wasp Moth / Mariposa-Dycladia

Dycladia sp.

Photo by Oscar Neto
Published on Project Noah
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-26.7691, -49.3629

Field Notes

Description:

(Felder, 1874)<br><br>Lepidoptera: Bombycina: Noctuoidea: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Arctiini<br><br>I accept suggestions on the species, but I'm not sure if it is possible with this picture alone. Read the notes to see my species suspicions.<br><br>Wingspan is probably around 20 to 40mm. Confirmation required.<br><br>Envergadura das asas é de aproximadamente 20-40mm. Confirmação necessária.

Habitat:

Normally found in woods and areas with naturally adapted vegetation. They can also be found in fields. This one was found in an anthropic environment, specifically in a garden.<br><br>Normalmente encontrados em bosques e áreas de mata. Também podem ser encontrados em campos. Este foi achado no meio antrópico, especificamente em um jardim.

Notes:

Dycladia é um gênero de mariposas da família Erebidae, subfamília Arctiinae e tribo Arctiini que mimetizam besouros da família Lycidae. Essa curiosa característica é um evoluído mecanismo de defesa contra predadores; o motivo possivelmente é atribuído ao péssimo gosto dos besouros Lycídeos, aos quais os predadores geralmente dispensam. Outras espécies desse mesmo gênero mimetizam Hymenopteras. O sujeito retratado é uma possível Dycladia cf. lucetius ou Dycladia cf. lydia, mas dado a falta de certeza e possibilidade de erro, deixarei o post como "Dycladia sp.". Larvas de Arctiinae geralmente se alimentam de uma grande variedade de gramas, arbustos e plantas em geral, mas estou incerto sobre a alimentação de ambas as larvas e adultos de Dycladia.<br><br>ENGLISH VERSION HERE:<br><br>Dycladia is a genus of moth in the family Erebidae, subfamily Arctiinae and tribe Arctiini that mimics net-winged beetles of the family Lycidae. This curious characteristic is an evolved defensive mechanism to ward off predators; the reason to this is most likely attributed to the foul taste of Lycid beetles, which predators most often avoid. Other species of this same genus are mimics of Hymenopterans. The subject photographed above is a possible Dycladia cf. lucetius or Dycladia cf. lydia, but due to this uncertainty and probability of error, I'll leave the post as Dycladia sp. until further notice. Arctiine caterpillars often feed on a wide variety of grasses, shrubs and plants in general, but I'm unsure of the feeding habits of both the adult and the larvae of Dycladia.

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