Moths of the Amazon
Superfamily - NOCTUOIDEA
Family - EREBIDAE
subfamily - CALPINAE
Ceroctena amynta, male, Satipo, Peru ©
Noctuoidea is split into 6 families i.e. Erebidae, Noctuidae,
Notodontidae, Euteliidae, Nolidae and Oenosandridae. The Erebidae
comprises of 18 subfamilies of which 9 are represented in the
neotropical region: Arctiinae, Calpinae, Erebinae, Lymantriinae,
Rivulinae, Anobinae, Hypeninae, Herminiinae and Eulepidotinae.
Most moths in the subfamily Calpinae have proboscises that are
modified to enable them to pierce and feed on fruit. They are
divided into 3 tribes - Phyllodini, Ophiderini and Calpini,
totalling about 400 known species worldwide.
The genus Ceroctena comprises of a
single species amynta. The lovely
emerald green ground colour is darker in females, which lack the
discal stigma on the forewings, and have narrower borders than the
is a common species, distributed from Mexico to Paraguay.
Ceroctena amynta, female, Satipo, Peru ©
This species is found in rainforest and cloudforest at elevations
between about 200-2000m.
To be completed.
common with Sosxetra and certain other
genera, Ceroctena habitually rest openly
on the upper surface of leaves, with their hindwings projecting beyond
the forewings. The hindwing costa and the forelegs both have dense
tufts of setae which have a slightly prickly appearance, and are
effective at breaking up the outline of the moth, thereby increasing
the effectiveness of its camouflage.