Amerila

Amerila is a genus of moths in the subfamily Arctiinae. A number of species in this genus have a special defence mechanism when they are in their adult stage. When disturbed, they exude a frothy yellow fluid from glands beside the eyes, while making a sizzling noise to ward off their attacker. Similar behaviour has been observed in fertilised females of the North-American moth Utetheisa ornatrix.

Amerila
Amerila crokeri
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Subfamily:
Arctiinae
Genus:
Amerila

Walker, 1855
Synonyms
  • Euthoracia Hulstaert, 1923
  • Canopus Walker, 1855
  • Phryganeomorpha Wallengren, 1858
  • Amblythyris Mabille, 1879
  • Gastrochrysia Kiriakoff, 1954

Species

Incorrectly placed species

Note

Caryatis species are not morphologically related to Amerila.

References

  • Dubatolov, V.V., 2009: Reviewing the African tiger-moth genera: 1. A new genus, two new subgenera and a species list from the expedition to Malawi by V. Kovtunovich & P. Ustjuzhanin in 2008-2009, with further taxonomic notes on South African Arctiinae. Atalanta 40 (1-2): 285-301.
  • Dubatolov, V.V., 2010: Tiger-moths of Eurasia (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae) (Nyctemerini by Rob de Vos & Vladimir V. Dubatolov). Neue Entomologische Nachrichten 65: 1-106, Marktleuthen.
  • Goodger, D.T. & Watson, A., 1995: The Afrotropical Tiger-Moths. An illustrated catalogue, with generic diagnosis and species distribution, of the Afrotropical Arctiinae (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae): 1-55, Apollo Books Aps.: Stenstrup, Denmark.
  • Edwards, E.D., 1996: Arctiidae: 278-286, 368-370. In: Nielsen, E., Edwards, E., Rangsi T., Edwards E.D., Nielsen E.S. & Rangsi, T.V. Monographs on Australian Lepidoptera 4: xiv+529, CSIRO: Melbourne.
  • Häuser, Ch. L. & Boppre, M., 1997: A revision of the Afrotropical taxa of the genus Amerila Walker (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). Systematic Entomology 22 (1): 1-44.
  • Kôda, N., 1989: A Generic Classification of the Subfamily Arctiinae of the Palaearctic and Oriental Regions based on the Male and Female Genitalia (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae) Part I. Tyô to Ga 38 (3): 153-237. Abstract and full article: .
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