Euchromia polymena

Euchromia polymena is a species of day flying moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. These moths are vibrantly coloured and look like wasps so known as Wasp moth[1] or Painted handmaiden moth.[2] It was described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It is found in India and south-eastern Asia, as well as on Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and the Philippines.[3] It is also present in the northern part of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Wasp Moth / Painted Handmaiden Moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Erebidae
Subfamily:
Arctiinae
Genus:
Euchromia
Species:
E. polymena
Binomial name
Euchromia polymena
Synonyms
  • Sphinx polymena Linnaeus, 1758
  • Euchromia elegantissima Wallengren, 1861
  • Euchromia orientalis Butler, 1876
  • Euchromia fraterna Butler, 1876
  • Euchromia laura Butler, 1876
  • Euchromia formosana Butler, 1888
  • Euchromia celebensis Butler, 1876
  • Euchromia siamensis Butler, 1876
  • Glaucopis polymena var. butleri Röber, 1887
  • Euchromia diffusihelvola Schultze, 1908
  • Euchromia hainana Seitz, 1913
  • Euchromia egestosa Seitz, 1913

Description

Hindwings with vein 3 and 4 from angle of cell. Body black. Head with blue spot on the vertex. The frons is white. Tegulae with a white spot. Collar and 1st, 4th and 5th abdominal segments are crimson, whereas 2nd, 3rd, and 6th edged with metallic blue. Forewings with a basal metallic-blue spot and two at end of the cell. There is a large sub-basal, bifid medial and quadrified post-medial orange spots. Hindwing with a trifid basal and quadrified post-medial orange spots. Coxa of forelegs and three spots on pectus are white. Larva reddish with red tubercles. It has long anterior and posterior tufts of hair and shorter dense medial dorsal tufts. Pupa is in a hairy cocoon.[4]

Ecology

The eggs are shiny pale yellow spheres, and laid in groups under a leaf of a food plant. The larvae feed on Ipomoea species. They are orange with bands of black and brown hairs. The caterpillars live in groups until the last instar which is solitary.[5]

  • Mating
    Mating
  • Laying eggs
    Laying eggs
  • Larva
    Larva
  • Pupa
    Pupa

References
  1. Krishna Mohan Photography
  2. Rahul Alvares
  3. Savela, Markku. "Euchromia polymena (Linnaeus, 1758)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  4. Hampson, G. F. (1892). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume I. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  5. Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (22 November 2014). "Euchromia polymena (Linnaeus, 1758)". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 18 November 2018.


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