Asota speciosa

rdf:langString Asota speciosa

rdf:langString Specious tiger

rdf:langString

rdf:langString Aganaidae Asota speciosa 2012 01 28 1420.JPG

rdf:langString A long caterpillar with numerous black legs with irregular alternating horizontal bands of black and bright light yellow color; all with varying widths and irregular edges. The head is orange.

rdf:langString Caterpillar of A. speciosa walking on gravel

rdf:langString Asota speciosa

rdf:langString Asota speciosa, the specious tiger, formerly Aganais speciosa, is a moth of the subfamily Aganainae, now regarded as being within the family Erebidae. Formerly it was regarded variously as a member of the Arctiidae, the Hypsidae, and subsequently the family Aganaidae, which was formerly regarded as a family by some authorities. The species is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, such as in Sierra Leone, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mozambique and South Africa. The larvae feed on certain latex-rich plants, mainly Ficus species (fig trees), both indigenous and domestic, but also on poisonous Acokanthera species. They sabotage the latex defences of their host plants by biting partway through the midrib, severing the latex vessels before proceeding to feed on the portion of the leaf blade distal to the sabotage, which is no longer supplied with latex.

rdf:langString A moth with a small head, the back of the head and shoulder-area are yellowish-orange with white lines bordering the area and black dots scattered along those white lines and a single black dot at the centre of the back, Two antennae are present. The wings are light brown with whitish 'veins'. When opened for flight, the entire body can he seen in the same theme as the upper body in yellowish-orange with white lines and numerous black dots.

rdf:langString Moth of A. speciosa laying on a leaf