Myrmecopsis strigosa

Myrmecopsis strigosa is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by Herbert Druce in 1884. It is found in Mexico and Guatemala.[1] The wingspan is about 25 mm.[2]

Myrmecopsis strigosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Subfamily:
Arctiinae
Genus:
Species:
M. strigosa
Binomial name
Myrmecopsis strigosa
(H. Druce, 1884)
Synonyms
  • Amycles strigosa H. Druce, 1884
  • Pseudosphex strigosa

It is thought to be a Müllerian mimic of the wasp Parachartergus apicalis, with predators paying a high penalty for mistaking M. strigosa for the wasp and there is a small reward from correctly identifying it since M. strigosa is bitter tasting and covered in scales.[3]

References

  1. Savela, Markku. "Myrmecopsis strigosa (Druce, 1884)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  2. "930455.00 – 8277 – Myrmecopsis strigosa – (Druce, 1884)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  3. Simmons, R.; Weller, S. (2002). "What kind of signals do mimetic tiger moths send? A phylogenetic test of wasp mimicry systems (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae: Euchromiini)". Proceedings: Biological Sciences. 269 (1495): 983–990. doi:10.1098/rspb.2002.1970. PMC 1690985. PMID 12028753.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.