Utetheisa

Utetheisa is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1819.

Description
Palpi porrect (extending forward), extending beyond the frons. Antennae ciliated. Forewings long and narrow, where the outer margin is short and somewhat erect. Vein 3 from before angle of cell. Veins 4 and 5 from angle, vein 6 from upper angle and vein 7 to 10 from a short areole. Hindwing with vein 5 from above angle of cell. Vein 6 and 7 from upper angle and vein 8 from middle of cell.

Caterpillars of many Utetheisa species feed on Crotalaria (rattlebox), and hence the genus as a whole is often called rattlebox moths. The adults usually have bright aposematic coloration and contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are used as a chemical defense and are also incorporated into the sex pheromones of the males.

Taxonomy
The members of its subgenera Pitasila, Atasca, and Raanya were formerly included in Nyctemera. Utetheisa is placed in the tribe Callimorphina or in the Nyctemerina; some treatments merge the two subtribes.

Utetheisa is monophyletic.



Selected species
Species of Utetheisa include:

Subgenus Utetheisa


 * Utetheisa amhara Jordan, 1939
 * Utetheisa antennata Swinhoe, 1893
 * Utetheisa clareae Robinson, 1971
 * Utetheisa connerorum Roque-Albelo & Landry, 2009
 * Utetheisa cruentata (Butler, 1881)
 * Utetheisa devriesi Hayes, 1975
 * Utetheisa diva (Mabille, 1879)
 * Utetheisa elata (Fabricius, 1798)
 * Utetheisa elata fatela Jordan, 1939
 * Utetheisa elata fatua Heyn, 1906
 * Utetheisa galapagensis (Wallengren, 1860)
 * Utetheisa henrii Roque-Albelo & Landry, 2009
 * Utetheisa lactea (Butler, 1884)
 * Utetheisa lactea aldabrensis T. B. Fletcher, 1910
 * Utetheisa lotrix (Cramer, [1777]) – crotalaria moth
 * Utetheisa maddisoni Robinson & Robinson, 1980
 * Utetheisa ornatrix (Linnaeus, 1758) – ornate moth, bella moth
 * Utetheisa pectinata
 * Utetheisa perryi Hayes, 1975
 * Utetheisa pulchella (Linnaeus, 1758) – crimson-speckled flunkey
 * Utetheisa pulchelloides Hampson, 1907 – heliotrope moth (syn: Utetheisa dorsifumata Prout, 1920 )
 * Utetheisa salomonis
 * Utetheisa semara Moore, 1860
 * Utetheisa sumatrana Rothschild, 1910

Subgenus Atasca


 * Utetheisa aegrotum (Swinhoe, 1892)
 * Utetheisa albilinea De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa amboina De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa amosa (Swinhoe, 1903)
 * Utetheisa ampatica De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa aruensis De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa bouruana (Swinhoe, 1917)
 * Utetheisa ceramensis De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa externa (Swinhoe, 1917)
 * Utetheisa frosti (Prout, 1918)
 * Utetheisa pellex (Linnaeus, 1758)
 * Utetheisa separata (Walker, 1864)
 * Utetheisa watubela De Vos, 2007

Subgenus Raanya
 * Utetheisa albipuncta (Druce, 1888)
 * Utetheisa albipuncta zoilides (Prout, 1920)

Subgenus Pitasila


 * Utetheisa assamica De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa abraxoides (Walker, 1862)
 * Utetheisa balinensis De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa disrupta (Butler, 1887)
 * Utetheisa disrupta burica (Holland, 1900)
 * Utetheisa distincta (Swinhoe, 1903) (syn: Utetheisa sangira (Swinhoe, 1903) )
 * Utetheisa inconstans (Butler, 1880) (syn: Utetheisa okinawensis (Inoue, 1982) )
 * Utetheisa flavothoracica De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa fractifascia (Wileman, 1911)
 * Utetheisa guttulosa (Walker, 1864)
 * Utetheisa latifascia (Hopffer, 1874)
 * Utetheisa leucospilota (Moore, 1877)
 * Utetheisa limbata (Roepke, 1949)
 * Utetheisa mendax De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa nivea De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa pala (Röber, 1891)
 * Utetheisa selecta (Walker, 1854)
 * Utetheisa specularis (Walker, 1856) (syn: Utetheisa macklotti (Vollenhoven, 1863) )
 * Utetheisa specularis extendens De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa specularis oroya (Swinhoe, 1903)
 * Utetheisa timorensis (Roepke, 1954)
 * Utetheisa transiens (Jurriaanse & Lindemans, 1919)
 * Utetheisa vandenberghi (Nieuwenhuis, 1948)
 * Utetheisa varians (Walker, 1854)
 * Utetheisa variolosa (Felder & Rogenhofer, [1869] 1874)
 * Utetheisa vollenhovii (Snellen, 1890)
 * Utetheisa witti De Vos, 2007
 * Utetheisa ypsilon De Vos, 2007