''Utetheisa connerorum'' 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 w ...

of the family

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings ('' Catocala'') ...

. It is endemic to the Galapagos archipelago, where it is the most widespread of all ''Utetheisa'' species. It has been found on Baltra, Fernandina, Floreana, Genovesa, Isabela, Marchena, Pinta, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Santa Fé, and Santiago. The length of the forewings is 12–15 mm for males and 12–14 mm for females. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

s feed on '' Tournefortia rufo-sericea'', '' Tournefortia psilostachya'', '' Tournefortia pubescens'' and ''

Heliotropium curassavicum ''Heliotropium curassavicum'', commonly called salt heliotrope (among other names), a species of flowering plant in the borage family (Boraginaceae). It is native to much of the Americas, from Canada to Argentina, including the West Indies and Ha ...

''. The larva is solitary and draws leaves together, fastening their edges, for concealment. Larval specimens have been collected from May to November. The food plants contain

pyrrolizidine alkaloid Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), sometimes referred to as necine bases, are a group of naturally occurring alkaloids based on the structure of pyrrolizidine. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are produced by plants as a defense mechanism against insect he ...

s, which are also stored in the adult moths. These

s make the moths unpalatable to the orb-weaving spiders of '' Eustela vegeta'', which release moths that are given to them from their webs. Lava lizards (''

Microlophus pacificus ''Microlophus pacificus'', the common Pacific iguana, is a species of lava lizard endemic to the Galapagos island of Pinta. The species is commonly attributed to the genus ''Microlophus'' but has been attributed to the genus ''Tropidurus''.

''), however, eat the moths presented to them, suggesting that the endemic

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

''Utetheisa'' of Galapagos have lost their aposematic colouration to avoid diurnal lizard predation, but retained their chemical defenses to avoid nocturnal spider predation.

References

External links

* connerorum Moths described in 2009 {{Callimorphina-stub