Utetheisa connerorum
| Utetheisa connerorum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Arctiidae |
| Genus: | Utetheisa |
| Species: | U. connerorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Utetheisa connerorum Roque-Albelo & B. Landry, 2009 | |
Utetheisa connerorum is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is endemic to the Galapagos archipelago, where it is the most widespread of all Utetheisa species. It has been found on Baltra, Fernandina, Floreana, Genovesa, Isabela, Marchena, Pinta, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Santa Fé, and Santiago.
The length of the forewings is 12–15 mm for males and 12-14 mm for females.
The moths of this species are unpalatable to the orb-weaving spider Eustela vegeta, which released moths given to them off their webs, but lava lizards Microlophus pacificus ate the moths presented to them, which suggest that the endemic group of Galapagos Utetheisa lost their aposematic colouration to avoid diurnal lizard predation, but retained their chemical defenses to avoid nocturnal spider predation.
Larvae feed on Tournefortia rufo-sericea, Tournefortia psilostachya, Tournefortia pubescens and Heliotropium curassavicum. The larva is solitary and draws leaves together, fastening their edges, for concealment. Larval specimens have been collected from May to November.