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Moths of Zihuatanejo

ORDER LEPIDOPTERA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)

-Pyralid and Crambid Snout Moths (Superfamily Pyraloidea)

-Crambid Snout Moths (Family Crambidae)

-Pearl Moths (Subfamily Spilomelinae)

-Tribe Herpetogrammatini

-Genus Blepharomastix

-Hollow-spotted Blepharomastix Moth (Blepharomastix ranalis)


Hollow-spotted Blepharomastix Moth (Blepharomastix ranalis) is a species of moth in the family Crambidae. Pale cream, beige, or light brown with distinctive dark spots or markings resembling hollow spots, arranged in a symmetrical pattern. During the day, the moth rests on vegetation or in sheltered locations, relying on its cryptic coloration to evade predators.

Hollow-spotted Blepharomastix

Blepharomastix ranalis

Description

  • Blepharomastix ranalis is a small to medium-sized moth in the family Crambidae, subfamily Spilomelinae. Adults have slender bodies and broad, rounded wings with a pale cream to yellowish ground colour, crossed by brown or reddish-brown lines and irregular markings. The wingspan is generally about 20–30 mm, with the pattern providing camouflage among foliage.

Range

  • Blepharomastix ranalis occurs in the warmer parts of the Americas, from the southern United States through Mexico and Central America into northern South America. It occurs along the Pacific coast of Mexico, including Zihuatanejo, Guerrero.

Habitat

  • It inhabits tropical and subtropical forest, seasonally dry woodland, scrub, forest edges, clearings, and disturbed vegetation. Adults are nocturnal and may be attracted to artificial lights, while larvae develop on their host plants.

Diet

  • The caterpillars are herbivorous, feeding on leaves and other soft plant tissues. Adults primarily obtain liquid nourishment such as nectar and other plant fluids.

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