Moths of
the Amazon and Andes
Claudicula
Joker
Cyllopoda claudicula
DALMAN,
1823
Family - GEOMETRIDAE
subfamily -
STERRHINAE
Tribe - CYLLOPODINI
introduction
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habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
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Cyllopoda claudicula ( or
related species ), Rio Madre de Dios, 400m, Peru |
Introduction
There
are 14 species in the genus Cyllopoda, as reviewed
by Lewis & Covell ( 2008 ). The members of the
genus are distributed variously across Central & South America.
All share a common theme of bright saffron yellow streaks or patches on a black
ground colour.
Cyllopoda
claudicula is found in Peru, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile.
Both sexes are similar in
appearance, but the females have thin unpectinated antennae, and lack the yellow
markings on the thorax.
Habitats
This species occurs in primary rainforest at altitudes between about 200-800
metes.
Lifecycle
The lifecycle and larval
foodplants are unknown. Other members of the subfamily Sterrhinae, which
includes the 'Waves' and 'Mochas' of the Holarctic region, generally have thin
green caterpillars, and are disguised as green stems. They rest in typical
Geometrid fashion, gripping a stem with the rearmost prolegs and anal claspers,
and with their bodies held straight at an angle of about 45° to the stem.
Adult behaviour
Males are often seen in one's and
two's aggregating on sandbanks or dry riverbeds with
Xanthiris
flaveolata, Atyria albifrons (
both Geometridae ),
Seriocastnia amalthea ( Agaristidae )
and other black and yellow diurnal species. This strongly suggests
a Mullerian or Batesian mimicry complex, where unrelated genera
have evolved a common aposematic colour scheme to advertise their
actual or supposed toxicity to insectivorous birds.
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