Myrtartona rufiventris
Encyclopedia
Myrtartona rufiventris is a species of moth
in the Zygaenidae
family. It is found in Western Australia
, South Australia
and Victoria
.
The length of the forewings is 9-10.5 mm for males and 7.5-8.5 mm for females. The forewings are blackish brown with scattered whitish scales. The hindwings are elliptical, dark grey-brown, but paler proximally.
Adults have been reported exhibiting thanatosis when disturbed.
The larvae feed on Melaleuca lanceolata
.
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...
in the Zygaenidae
Zygaenidae
The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. There are about 1000 species. Various species are commonly known as Burnet or Forester moths, often qualified by the number of spots,...
family. It is found in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
and Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
The length of the forewings is 9-10.5 mm for males and 7.5-8.5 mm for females. The forewings are blackish brown with scattered whitish scales. The hindwings are elliptical, dark grey-brown, but paler proximally.
Adults have been reported exhibiting thanatosis when disturbed.
The larvae feed on Melaleuca lanceolata
Melaleuca lanceolata
Melaleuca lanceolata is a small tree or shrub in the genus Melaleuca, native to Australia. It has a number of common names including Black Paperbark, Moonah, Rottnest Island Teatree and Western Black Tea tree....
.