Brenthia coronigera explained

Brenthia coronigera, commonly known as the metalmark moth,^[1] is a species of moth of the family Choreutidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1918. It is found in the Bengal region of what was British India.^[2]

The adult moth is a mimic of predatory jumping spiders; the moth's forewings are held aloft and have bold black spots, which resemble spider eyes, while its hindwings, which are held in a twisted position and are marked with stripes, resemble spider legs. The moth also moves in a jumpy, jerky fashion, like a jumping spider, rather than fluttering like other moths. Its mimicry is so convincing that spiders respond by trying to court the moth, rather than attacking it.^[1]

The larvae feed on Cordia obliqua and Cordia myxa.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Moth's disguise is so good, spiders love it instead of eating it . New Scientist . Sandhya . Sekar . 26 April 2017 . 28 January 2018.
2. Web site: choreutidae.lifedesks.org . 2012-11-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120812044625/http://choreutidae.lifedesks.org/pages/79 . 2012-08-12 . dead .
3. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/hostplants/search/list.dsml?searchPageURL=index.dsml&Familyqtype=starts+with&Family=Choreutidae&PFamilyqtype=starts+with&PFamily=&Genusqtype=starts+with&Genus=&PGenusqtype=starts+with&PGenus=&Speciesqtype=starts+with&Species=&PSpeciesqtype=starts+with&PSpecies=&Country=&sort=Family?iframe=true&width=100%&height=100% HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants