Amyna natalis
Encyclopedia
The Ilima Moth is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is widespread from tropical Asia
into northern Australia
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
, where it is found on Oahu
.
The wingspan
is 16-22 mm
Larvae have been recorded on Abutilon incanum
, Sida cordifolia
, Sida fallax
, Sida rhombifolia
and Waltheria americana. The caterpillars are green loopers.
Males have been observed producing a continuous ultrasonic song of high intensity (about 102 dB SPL measured at a distance of 10 cm). During song production the animals were perching on plants and moving their wings up and down quickly. Simultaneously, by twisting the wings it seems likely that a male-specific bubble in the forewing functions as a tymbal, resulting in sound production. The sound production may be associated with the release of a pheromone from putative scent-disseminating structures on the underside of the forewing tymbal.
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 widespread from tropical Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
into northern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where it is found on 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...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 16-22 mm
Larvae have been recorded on Abutilon incanum
Abutilon incanum
Abutilon icanum, also known as hoary abutilon, pelotazo, pelotazo chico, tronadora, and mao , is a shrub widespread throughout the arid, warm regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico as well as Hawaii.It grows to between in height; the leaves are ovate to lance-ovate in shape,...
, Sida cordifolia
Sida cordifolia
Sida cordifolia is a perennial subshrub of the mallow family Malvaceae native to India. It has naturalized throughout the world, and is considered an invasive weed in Africa, Australia, the southern United States, Hawaiian Islands, New Guinea, and French Polynesia...
, Sida fallax
Sida fallax
Sida fallax, known as ilima in Hawaiian, is a species of herbaceous flowering plant in the Hibiscus family, Malvaceae, that occurs on most of the Pacific Islands. The flowers are small, in diameter, have five petals, and are a golden yellow in color. Plants may be erect or prostrate and are found...
, Sida rhombifolia
Sida rhombifolia
Sida rhombifolia is a perennial or sometimes annual plant in the Family Malvaceae, native to the New World tropics and subtropics. Other common names include Paddy’s lucerne, jelly leaf, and also somewhat confusingly as Cuban jute, Queensland hemp, and Indian hemp Sida rhombifolia (Arrowleaf...
and Waltheria americana. The caterpillars are green loopers.
Males have been observed producing a continuous ultrasonic song of high intensity (about 102 dB SPL measured at a distance of 10 cm). During song production the animals were perching on plants and moving their wings up and down quickly. Simultaneously, by twisting the wings it seems likely that a male-specific bubble in the forewing functions as a tymbal, resulting in sound production. The sound production may be associated with the release of a pheromone from putative scent-disseminating structures on the underside of the forewing tymbal.