Flower Moth

Description:

Lepidoptera; Scythrididae; Eretmocera sp. My favourite "go to" website for general information on any species, Wikipedia does not have much to say about Eretmocera other than "Eretmocera is a genus of moths in the family Scythrididae.", but that's O.K. because the article shows a list of species from this Genus and one of them is listed as present in Philippines. So, my usual problem of distribution was solved immediately. Unfortunately I cannot find a picture of the species mentioned (Eretmocera percnophanes Meyrick, 1929). So my specimens remain as Eretmocera sp. for now. There are some nice pictures of Eretmocera at: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/124026-... and a good Project Noah spotting at: https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/17...

Habitat:

The moths shown here were spotted on foliage growing on the partition dike (known locally as a "pilapil") which divides a large rice field into more manageable sections. It was about half way through the dry season, the rice had been harvested four months previously and the fields were parched and barren, waiting for the rains. But the wild plants growing on the "pilaplls" were hardy survivors and they still attracted many insects.