Nyctemera amicus
Encyclopedia
The Senecio Moth or Magpie moth (Nyctemera amicus) is a moth
of the Arctiidae
family. It is found in south-east Asia
, Oceania
, and most of Australia
.
The larvae feed on Senecio linearifolius, Senecio quadridentatus, Senecio mikanioides, Senecio cruentus, and Senecio scandens. These foodplants contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, making the larvae unpleasant to taste and poisonous to birds.
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 Arctiidae
Arctiidae
Arctiidae is a large and diverse family of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This family includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths , which usually have bright colours, footmen , lichen moths and wasp moths...
family. It is found in south-east 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...
, Oceania
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
, and most of 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...
.
The larvae feed on Senecio linearifolius, Senecio quadridentatus, Senecio mikanioides, Senecio cruentus, and Senecio scandens. These foodplants contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids, making the larvae unpleasant to taste and poisonous to birds.