Asota speciosa

Specious tiger
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Erebidae
Genus:	Asota
Species:	A. speciosa
Binomial name
	Asota speciosa; (Drury, 1773)
Synonyms
	Phalaena speciosa Drury, 1773 ; Aganais speciosa (Drury, 1773) ; Aganais aphidas Hopffer, 1858 ; Aganais conspicua Swinhoe, 1903 ; Pseudhypsa baumanniana Karsch, 1895 ; Hypsa subretracta Walker, 1856 ; Hypsa undulifera Walker, 1856 ; Aganais unicolor Rothschild, 1896 ;

Asota speciosa, the specious tiger, formerly Aganais speciosa, is a moth of the subfamily Aganainae, now regarded as being within the family Erebidae. Formerly it was regarded variously as a member of the Arctiidae, the Hypsidae, and subsequently the family Aganaidae, which was formerly regarded as a family by some authorities.^[1]^[2] The species is found in Sierra Leone, Mozambique, South Africa and Togo.

The larvae feed on certain latex-rich plants, mainly Ficus species, both indigenous and domestic, but also on poisonous Acokanthera species.^[3] They sabotage the latex defences of their host plants by biting partway through the midrib, severing the latex vessels before proceeding to feed on the leaf blade.^[4]

References[]

^ Zahiri, Reza; et al. (2011). "Molecular phylogenetics of Erebidae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea)". Systematic Entomology. 37: 102–124. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2011.00607.x.
^ Lafontaine, Donald; Schmidt, Christian (19 Mar 2010). "Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico". ZooKeys. 40: 26. doi:10.3897/zookeys.40.414.
^ Alan Weaving; Mike Picker; Griffiths, Charles Llewellyn (2003). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa. New Holland Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 1-86872-713-0.
^ COMPTON, S.G. 1987. Aganais speciosa and Danaus chrysippus (Lepidoptera) sabotage the latex defences of their host plants. Ecological Entomology 12: 115-118

External links[]

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[Z+2011-1] Zahiri, Reza; et al. (2011). "Molecular phylogenetics of Erebidae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea)". Systematic Entomology. 37: 102–124. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2011.00607.x.

[2] Lafontaine, Donald; Schmidt, Christian (19 Mar 2010). "Annotated check list of the Noctuoidea (Insecta, Lepidoptera) of North America north of Mexico". ZooKeys. 40: 26. doi:10.3897/zookeys.40.414.

[isbn1-86872-713-0-3] Alan Weaving; Mike Picker; Griffiths, Charles Llewellyn (2003). Field Guide to Insects of South Africa. New Holland Publishers, Ltd. ISBN 1-86872-713-0.

[4] COMPTON, S.G. 1987. Aganais speciosa and Danaus chrysippus (Lepidoptera) sabotage the latex defences of their host plants. Ecological Entomology 12: 115-118

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