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Xanthiris flaveolata
Geometridae, Sterrhinae, Xanthiris flaveolata. Cabañas Yankuam, Nangaritza, Provincia de Zamorra-Chinchipe Ecuador A wonderful and fresh example of a male moth. Quite nervous and shy, but usually you will find some others nearby.
Neotropical rainforests, males often getting liquids at puddles and other wet spots. Usually one can see several individuals at the same spot.
This bright yellow is quite common in diurnal moths of the family of Geometridae. Most are in the subfamily of Sterrhinae, genus are Cyllopoda, Smicropus, Xanthiris and Atyriodes and Atyria. It is an aposematic color, meaning or indicating: Most probably I am poisenous or unpalatable, you may try once, but be careful, you would never taste a yellow one again! Males usually are hanging around chasing other males or drinking liquids and minerals for sperm production. Females do not have the time for hanging around and drinking, they are feeding to get power for their eggs and the process of legging the eggs.
Spotted on Dec 17, 2017
Submitted on Jul 28, 2018
10 Comments
Wowwwwwwwwww!!!!
Wow, beautiful moth Bayucca... Congrats on SOTD.
Thanks, my friends! This really was a gorgeous encounter!
Good looking moth. Congratulations.
Congrats bayucca! Beautiful spotting!
A moth so colourful deserves a name like that...does it live up to great expectations? Congratulations and thanks for sharing. It brightened up a rainy day.
Congratulations bayucca! Gorgeous moth!
Fantastic find Dominic,congrats on the well deserved SOTD and thanks for sharing
What a find, with a name to match! Congratulations bayucca, your Saffron Playboy is our Spotting of the Day:
#NationalMothWeek continues to surprise us with this stunning member of the family Geometridae as our Spotting of the Day! The aptly named Saffron Playboy (Xanthiris flaveolata) is distributed throughout most of tropical South America. Bright yellow and black color themes seem common amongst neotropical day-flying moths, and are likely to indicate aposematism.
Moth Week is on for two more days till July 29. Are you participating? Check out the National Moth Week website to register your mothing location and/or find a public event nearby you, and for a list of official partners: https://buff.ly/2JaImcn
On Project Noah you can submit photos of moths you spot here: https://buff.ly/2LBq7tK
#MothWeek2018
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A beautiful butterfly....beautiful colors....