Agrotis hephaestaea
Encyclopedia
Agrotis hephaestaea is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is endemic to Kauai
, Oahu
and Molokai
.
The larvae feed on Wikstroemia
species. The caterpillars are found on their food-plant during the daytime.
Full-grown larvae are about 40 mm in length. They are nearly uniformly dark fuscous, minutely spotted with paler, whitish spots on the ventral surface. The head is light ferruginous and the cervical shield is black with a broad yellow discal patch which is widest posteriorly. There is a median white line which extends indistinctly onto the two following segments. The setae are very short, pale and each in a black dot. The anal shield is black with several yellow spots. The spiracles are oval and entirely black.
The pupa is 20 mm long and yellowish brown, infuscated on the dorsum of the metathorax and the abdomen. A dorsal transverse band of small pits is found near the anterior margin of 5th, 6th and 7th abdominal segments. The wing-sheaths, antennae-sheaths and posterior leg-sheaths extend to the apex of the 4th abdominal segment. The cremaster has two short diverging spines, which are thick at the base and dark reddish, apical half whitish. Pupation takes place in the soil.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is endemic to Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
and Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
.
The larvae feed on Wikstroemia
Wikstroemia
Wikstroemia is a genus of 55-70 species of flowering shrubs and small trees in the mezereon family, Thymelaeaceae.-Medicinal uses:Wikstroemia indica is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine.-Species:...
species. The caterpillars are found on their food-plant during the daytime.
Full-grown larvae are about 40 mm in length. They are nearly uniformly dark fuscous, minutely spotted with paler, whitish spots on the ventral surface. The head is light ferruginous and the cervical shield is black with a broad yellow discal patch which is widest posteriorly. There is a median white line which extends indistinctly onto the two following segments. The setae are very short, pale and each in a black dot. The anal shield is black with several yellow spots. The spiracles are oval and entirely black.
The pupa is 20 mm long and yellowish brown, infuscated on the dorsum of the metathorax and the abdomen. A dorsal transverse band of small pits is found near the anterior margin of 5th, 6th and 7th abdominal segments. The wing-sheaths, antennae-sheaths and posterior leg-sheaths extend to the apex of the 4th abdominal segment. The cremaster has two short diverging spines, which are thick at the base and dark reddish, apical half whitish. Pupation takes place in the soil.