MOTHS OF BELIZE
SPECIES LISTS BY FAMILY
15(c). Arctiidae: Pericopinae
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SUBFAMILY DESCRIPTION
The Pericopinae are a small group of some 300 species, found only in
the New World and almost exclusively tropical.
They typically have large, broad wings but slender bodies
and a generally feeble appearance and range in wingspan from 20
to 80 mm. They are generally extremely brightly coloured and
often fly by day. Larval foodplants include species in a wide
range of toxic plant families such as the Asclepiadaceae and
Apocynaceae. This subfamily has been catalogued for the neotropics
by Watson & Goodger (1986) but has not been the subject of an
extensive illustrated review since Seitz (1925). Jacobson and
Weller (2002) treat this group as the tribe Pericopini of
the subfamily Arctiinae.
BELIZE SPECIES
I have taken seven species of this subfamily in Belize so far
(and a further two have been taken by Pat Haynes), as listed below -
please click on any underlined species names to go to a colour
illustration of the adult
(and sometimes its genitalia) and brief information on
the species.
The genus Dysschema
Dysschema gaumeri Druce 1894
Dysschema magdala(?) Boisduval 1870
Dysschema leucophaea Walker 1854
The genusHypocrita
Hypocrita arcaei Druce 1884
The genus Calodesma
Calodesma maculifrons Walker 1865
The genus Composia
Composia fidelissima Herrich-Schaeffer 1866** NEW**
The genus Sphaeromachia
Sphaeromachia cubana Herrich-Schaeffer 1866
The genus Chetone
Chetone angulosa Walker 1854 (form heliconides Boisduval 1870)
The genus Hyalurga
Hyalurga sora Boisduval 1870
Hyalurga sixola Schaus 1910
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