Bastilla joviana
Encyclopedia
Bastilla joviana is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found from the Oriental region to the Moluccas and in New Guinea
and Australia
. It is also present in South Africa
.
The larvae feed on Acalypha
, Breynia
and Phyllanthus
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 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 found from the Oriental region to the Moluccas and in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and 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 also present in 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...
.
The larvae feed on Acalypha
Acalypha
Acalypha is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole genus of the subtribe Acalyphinae. With 450 to 500 species of herbs and shrubs, the genus is only behind Euphorbia, Croton and Phyllanthus in term of Malpighiales diversity...
, Breynia
Breynia
Breynia is a plant genus in the family Phyllanthaceae. It has 35 species, distributed from India to Australia.-Synonymy:This genus is also known under several names:*Foersteria Scop.*Forsteria Steud.*Melanthes Blume...
and Phyllanthus
Phyllanthus
Phyllanthus is the largest genus in the flowering plant family Phyllanthaceae. Estimates of the number species in this genus vary widely, from 750 to 1200. Phyllanthus has a remarkable diversity of growth forms including annual and perennial herbs, shrubs, climbers, floating aquatics, and...
species.
Subspecies
- Bastilla joviana joviana
- Bastilla joviana curvisecta (New Guinea and Australia)