''Altha subnotata'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Limacodidae The Limacodidae or Eucleidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Zygaenoidea or the Cossoidea;Scoble, M.J. (1992). ''The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity.'' Oxford University Press. the placement is in dispute. They are often c ...

first described by Francis Walker in 1865. It is found in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

. Palpi short. Mid and hind tibia lack spurs. Head, thorax and abdomen pure white. Wings broad and rounded. Forewings bright white with a black dot beyond the lower end of the cell. Two dots are found on the outer margin below the apex. Underside of forewing costa blackish. Hindwings whitish with two black dots on outer margin below apex. The caterpillar is sluggish and is found on the underside of leaves. Its body is a perfectly semi-ovoid. Early

instars An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

are greyish white and translucent. A transverse olive-brown band is present anteriorly, centrally and posteriorly. A double dorsal series of six transparent glossy humps are visible with a lens when the caterpillar reaches later instars. Late instars are pale bluish green with a narrow white dorsal band. On the flank, there are several wavy dorsal lines. A yellow sub-lateral stripe is present. Pupation occurs in a white ovoid cocoon, which is dull, hard and smooth.

References

Moths of Asia Moths described in 1865 Limacodidae {{Limacodidae-stub