Andriasa contraria
Encyclopedia
Andriasa contraria is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is known from tropical Africa
, including Kenya
, Cameroon
and South Africa
. It is a very variable species and is common in all habitats except deserts and high mountains.
The length of the forewings is 25-31 mm for males. The females are larger and have longer and narrower wings. The forewing upperside ground colour for males varies from very pale buff to yellowish-grey or reddish-buff. There are numerous irregular transverse lines ranging from highly conspicuous in some individuals to almost absent in others. The discal spot varies from almost absent to very large and conspicuous (form stigmatica). The forewing upperside marking for females is similar to and as variable as the male, but the ground colour is darker and reddish-buff to dark reddish-brown.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on the leaves of Spathodea campanulata. Other recorded foodplants include Newboldia and Markhamia species.
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 Sphingidae
Sphingidae
Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...
family. It is known from tropical Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, including Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is a very variable species and is common in all habitats except deserts and high mountains.
The length of the forewings is 25-31 mm for males. The females are larger and have longer and narrower wings. The forewing upperside ground colour for males varies from very pale buff to yellowish-grey or reddish-buff. There are numerous irregular transverse lines ranging from highly conspicuous in some individuals to almost absent in others. The discal spot varies from almost absent to very large and conspicuous (form stigmatica). The forewing upperside marking for females is similar to and as variable as the male, but the ground colour is darker and reddish-buff to dark reddish-brown.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on the leaves of Spathodea campanulata. Other recorded foodplants include Newboldia and Markhamia species.
Subspecies
- Andriasa contraria contraria (South Africa to Tanzania, East Africa and Ethiopia)
- Andriasa contraria diffusus (Rothschild & Jordan, 1910) (Eritrea)
- Andriasa contraria submarginalis (Walker, 1865) (West Africa to the Congo, Uganda and west Kenya)
- Andriasa contraria suffusa (Walker, 1869) (Cameroon)