Erebid Moth

Description:

Erebidae; Erebinae; Poaphilini; Bastilla arcuata (Moore, 1877). This moth looked rather tattered when I spotted it on the wall. It was also very frenetic, incessantly fluttering a few inches and landing. So, I gave up on trying to get a better quality photo and the one shown here was the best of a number of poor shots. I soon saw the reason for its behaviour. It was being hunted by two Common House Geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus), locally called Butiki, and I suspect that one of them had bitten off part of the right forewing at the apex. This raises the questions - Why do these moths fly to the lights at night and why do they not skedaddle back into the dark where they are probably safer?

Habitat:

Spotted on the wall of our back terrace in the evening, possibly attracted by the light.