Hecatesia fenestrata
Hecatesia fenestrata, the common whistling moth, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to south-eastern Australia.
Male, side view
Wing detail
| Hecatesia fenestrata | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Hecatesia |
| Species: | H. fenestrata |
| Binomial name | |
| Hecatesia fenestrata Boisduval, 1829 | |
The wingspan is about 30 mm. The forewings are black with two white bands. In males, there is a patch without scales, located near the costa. Instead of the scales, they have a ribbed area, used to make a clicking-whistling sound when flying by rubbing this ribbed area against a small protrusion. The noise is probably used to attract females. The hindwings are orange with a black border.
The larvae feed on Cassytha melantha. They have sparse white hairs along the body and irregular bands of orange, black and pale yellow, as well as a prominent lateral pale yellow line, and an area of red near the tail.
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