Hypercompe

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Hypercompe
Giant leopard moth,
Hypercompe scribonia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Arctiidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Tribe: Spilosomini
Genus: Hypercompe
Hübner, 1819[1]
Type species
Phalaena icasia
Cramer, 1777
Synonyms

Ecpantheria Hübner, 1820
Agaposoma C. Felder, 1874
Catenina Burmeister, 1883

Hypercompe is a genus of moths of the family Arctiidae. Over 80 species are found throughout the Americas. Several species were formerly separated in Ecpantheria, which is now regarded as a junior synonym. They are typically large moths with white fore wings heavily spotted with black, and brightly colored abdomens which are exposed when the moths are threatened. This is a form of aposematism; they produce copious amounts of foul-smelling defensive chemicals, which they ooze from special points of weakness on their thoraces, to discourage would-be predators.[citation needed]

Species

Species include:

Recorded food plants include Brassica and Veronica
Food plant: Musa
Recorded food plants include Helianthus, Luffa and Phaseolus
Food plant: Gossypium herbaceum
Recorded food plants include Gossypium, Plantago and Solanum
Food plant: Syagrus romanzoffiana
Recorded food plants include Cissus, Citrus, Erythrina, Ipomoea, Musa, Panicum and Vanilla
Recorded food plants include Bidens, Eriobotrya, Gossypium, Hibiscus, Manihot and Ricinus
Recorded food plants include Apium, Cecropia, Cissus, Citrus, Erechtites, Erythrina, Ipomoea, Musa, Phaseolus, Psidium, Solanum, Vanilla
Recorded food plants include Beta, Brassica, Citrus, Cucurbita, Datura, Diospyros, Fragaria, Hippeastrum, Leucanthemum, Persea, Pisum, Prunus, Ricinus, Rosa, Senecio, Solanum, Spiraea and Zea
Food plant: Theobroma cacao
Recorded food plants include Lantana, Senecio and Sphagneticola

Gallery

Images of Hypercompe moths
H. scribonia (great leopard moth), Massachusetts, USA, photo from http://laurennoyes.com 
H. scribonia, Massachusetts, USA, photo from http://laurennoyes.com 
H. scribnoia, Massachusetts, USA, photo from http://laurennoyes.com 

References

External links

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