Moths of
the Amazon and Andes
Head-standing moth
Apatelodes
(
unidentified species, ref 231 )
Family - BOMBYCIDAE
subfamily -
APATELODINAE
Tribe -
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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 |
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Apatelodes
( unidentified
species ), Rio Madre de Dios, 400m, Peru |
Introduction
The
family Apatelodidae comprises of about 250 species distributed variously
throughout the neotropical and nearctic regions. Most are placed currently in
the genus
Apatelodes
which includes species found from Canada to Bolivia. It seems unlikely that
species from such dissimilar climates and habitats belong in the same genus and
phylogenetic study may reveal
anatomical differences between the nearctic and
neotropical taxa.
I refer to
Apatelodes
as "head-standing moths" because of the characteristic posture they
adopt when at rest. They habitually rest with the hindwings hidden
beneath the outspread forewings, the abdomen twisted to one side, with the wings
and body in a vertical plane. This posture and the disruptive pattern presumably help them to avoid detection by birds which normally
identify moth prey by means of a mental "moth-shaped" search image.
Habitats
I have only observed this
species in lowland rainforest, although there are many related species which
occur at high altitudes in the Andes.
Lifecycle
To be completed.
Adult behaviour
The moths are attracted to tungsten and fluorescent lighting, and
can sometimes be found during daylight at rest on foliage in the
characteristic Apatelodes
posture.
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