''Macara alydda'' 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
Megalopygidae
The flannel moths or crinkled flannel moths (scientific name Megalopygidae) are a family of insects. They occur in North America (11 species) and the New World tropics.
Distribution and habitat
The moth occurs in North America and the New World ...
. It was described by
Herbert Druce
Herbert Druce, FLS (14 July 1846, in London – 11 April 1913, in London) was an English entomologist.
His collections were acquired by Frederick DuCane Godman (1834–1919), Osbert Salvin (1835–1898), and James John Joicey (1870–1932) b ...
in 1887. It is found in
Costa Rica and
Napo Province
Napo () is a province in Ecuador. Its capital is Tena. The province contains the Napo River. The province is low developed without much industrial presence. The thick rainforest is home to many natives that remain isolated by preference, descenda ...
, Ecuador. The habitat consists of montane cloud forests.
The forewings are dark silky brown, with the outer margin, from the apex to the anal angle, broadly banded with pale fawn. There is a series of silvery white spots (which have black dots on the side nearest the base) on the inner side of the pale colour. There are two black spots close to the apex and a pale-fawn mark at the end of the cell. The hindwings are uniform pale silky grey.
The larvae have been recorded feeding on a wide range of host plants, including ''
Miconia capitellata
''Miconia capitellata'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine c ...
'', ''
Miconia dielsii
''Miconia dielsii'' is a species of plant in the family Melastomataceae. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine clima ...
'', ''
Monochaetum lineatum'', ''
Andesanthus lepidotus
''Andesanthus lepidotus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Tibouchina lepidota'', also known as alstonville, Andean princess flower, lasiandra, or glory bush, is a medium-sized ornamental tree or a large shrub native to northwestern South America t ...
'' (syn. ''Tibouchina lepidota''), ''
Nectandra
''Nectandra'' is a genus of plant in the family Lauraceae. They are primarily Neotropical, with ''Nectandra coriacea'' being the only species reaching the southernmost United States. They have fruit with various medical effects. Sweetwood is a co ...
'' species, ''
Gunnera brephogea'', ''
Disterigma acuminatum
''Disterigma'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Ericaceae.
Its native range is Mexico to Western South America.
Species:
*'' Disterigma acuminatum''
*''Disterigma agathosmoides''
*'' Disterigma alaternoides''
*'' Di ...
'', ''
Psammisia'' species, ''
Croton'' species, ''
Alchornea pearcei'', ''
Alchornea grandis'', ''
Acalypha scandens'', ''
Acalypha macrstachya'', ''
Acalypha platyphylla'', ''
Erythrina edulis
''Erythrina edulis'' (basul) is a nitrogen fixing tree that is native to the Andean region from western Venezuela to southern Bolivia. Nowadays it is known in Venezuela as "frijol mompás", in Bolivia, Peru and Northwest Argentina as "psonay", "p ...
'', ''
Weinmania balbisiana'', ''
Clusia multiflora'', ''
Cayaponia macrocalix'', ''
Chusquea scandens
''Chusquea'' is a genus of evergreen bamboos in the Poaceae, grass family. Most of them are native plant, native to mountain habitats in Latin America, from Mexico to southern Chile and Argentina.
They are sometimes referred to as South American ...
'' and ''
Rubus
''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, with over 1,350 species.
Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of t ...
'' species. Early instar larvae feed in large groups.
Parasitoid-Caterpillar-Plant Interactions in the Americas
/ref>
Subspecies
*''Macara alydda alydda''
*''Macara alydda nigella'' (Dognin, 1916)
References
Moths described in 1887
Megalopygidae
{{Zygaenoidea-stub