Melipotis acontioides explained

Melipotis acontioides, the royal poinciana moth, is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. It was first described by Achille Guenée in 1852. The species is found from the southern United States (including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Florida)^[1] through Mexico and Central America to Brazil, Argentina and the Galápagos Islands. It is also found in the Caribbean, including Cuba and the British Virgin Islands,^[2] Jamaica and Puerto Rico.

The wingspan is about 43 mm.^[3]

The larvae feed on Delonix regia and Parkinsonia aculeata^[4] and Parkinsonia florida. The larvae feed at night.

Subspecies

• Melipotis acontioides acontioides
• Melipotis acontioides producta Hayes, 1975 (Galápagos Islands)

Notes and References

1. Web site: 930881.00 – 8610 – Melipotis acontioides – Royal Poinciana Moth – (Guenée, 1852) . North American Moth Photographers Group . Mississippi State University . December 2, 2018.
2. Becker . Vitor O. . 2002 . The Noctuoidea (Lepidoptera) from Cuba described by Herrich-Schäffer and Gundlach in the Gundlach Collection, Havana . Revista Brasileira de Zoologia . 19 . 2 . 349–391 . 10.1590/S0101-81752002000200006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130429205252/http://www.scielo.br/pdf/rbzool/v19n2/v19n2a06.pdf . April 29, 2013 . live. free .
3. Web site: Roberts . Jason D. . July 14, 2018 . Species Melipotis acontioides - Royal Poinciana Moth - Hodges#8610 . BugGuide . December 2, 2018.
4. Web site: Savela . Markku . Melipotis acontioides (Guenée, 1852) . Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms . December 2, 2018.