Moths of
the Amazon and Andes
Deaf Zebra
Euchontha frigida
WALKER, 1864
Family -
NOTODONTIDAE
subfamily -
DIOPTINAE
Tribe - DIOPTINI
introduction
|
habitats |
lifecycle |
adult behaviour
|
 |
|
Euchontha frigida,
Rio Madre de Dios, 400m, Peru. |
Introduction
This
moth belongs to a group of similar looking species found in the families
Notodontidae, Geometridae and Arctiidae, but Euchontha
species can easily be distinguished from the others due to the distinctive
forewing venation and the presence of prominent orange spots on the thorax.
The Dioptinae were until recently regarded
as a full family but are now relegated to a subfamily of the Notodontidae. They
are neotropical and nearctic in distribution. The highest concentration of
species is in Amazonia, but some reach as far north as western Canada.
Dioptinae, like other moths have
tympanal organs "ears" at the base of the thorax, which are generally accepted
as having evolved to allow them to detect the echo-location calls of predatory
bats. These moths however are all day-flying species, and experiments have shown
that they are virtually deaf. This implies that their ancestors were nocturnal,
and that the ability to hear was lost when they evolved to become day-flying and
were no longer exposed to bats.
There are 64 genera and about 450
species in the Dioptinae. The genus Euchontha
comprises 12 known species, all confined to the Amazonian region.
Euchontha frigida is distributed along the eastern
Andes from
Colombia to Peru.
Habitats
This species occurs in primary rainforest, typically in the vicinity of small
streams, at altitudes between about 200-1000 metres.
Lifecycle
The larvae of Dioptinae are cylindrical, usually slightly translucent
greenish in colour and marked with dark bands along the back and sides. They have a
sparse covering of short setae ( hairs ). I have no information regarding the
larval foodplants of Euchontha, but other species
of Dioptinae typically feed on Passiflora (
Passifloraceae ) or Tumera ( Turneraceae ).
Adult behaviour
This moth
is commonly found in two's and three's imbibing mineralised
moisture on sandbanks, dry river beds and urine-soaked ground in
lowland rainforest. It usually feeds at wet ground where water
from streams laps against rocks or gravel.
The
adults always feed and rest with the wings folded back and held
flat against the substrate.
|
