Lepidoptera > Noctuoidea > Notodontidae > Notodontinae > Stauropini > Stauropus
Stauropus alternus Walker, 1855 – Lobster Moth
Stauropus alternus alternus (NE India, E. Himalaya) and Stauropus alternus albescens (S. India, Sri Lanka) are treated as the two subspecies recorded from India.
- Images
- Early stages
- Distribution
- Identification
- Status, Habitat and Habits
- Larval Host Plants
- Similiar species
- References
Stauropus alternus – Lobster Moth
Stauropus alternus albescens – Lobster Moth
Early Stages:
Indian and global distribution:
records (based on images):
Larval Host Plants:
Identification:
Sexual, seasonal & individual variation:
Moths of Borneo (http://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-4/neostauropus/notodontidae_33_1.php) [accessed 15 January 2019] treats Stauropus albescens (S. India, Sri Lanka) as a separate species from Stauropus alternus. The former is paler and has differences in genitalia. Some authors treat albescens as a subspecies of Stauropus alternus, a treatment that has been followed here. The taxonomic status of albescens needs further investigation.
Moths of Borneo (http://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-4/neostauropus/notodontidae_33_1.php) [accessed 15 January 2019] treats Stauropus albescens (S. India, Sri Lanka) as a separate species from Stauropus alternus. The former is paler and has differences in genitalia. Some authors treat albescens as a subspecies of Stauropus alternus, a treatment that has been followed here. The taxonomic status of albescens needs further investigation.
Status, Habitat and Habits:
Adult moth observations that have been databased:
| State | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assam | ||||||||||||
| Karnataka | ||||||||||||
| Kerala | ||||||||||||
| All states |
Similiar species:
List of Stauropus Germar, 1812 known from India.
Stauropus berberisae Moore, 1888. India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand); Pakistan.
Stauropus major Van Eecke, 1929. India (NE India, Andaman Islands); Myanmar.
Stauropus sikkimensis sikkimensis Moore, 1866. India (West Bengal, NE India); Nepal.
Stauropus sikkimensis khasianus Rothschild, 1917. India (Assam, Meghalaya).
Stauropus thiaucourti Schintlmeister, 2003. India (Tamil Nadu); Sri Lanka.
Similar species: Stauropus sikkimensis Moore, 1866
Typical Stauropus sikkimensis has post medial line curved rather than dentate. Medial area suffused with greenish.
Image at http://v3.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=284231 [accessed 19 April 2022]
Stauropus berberisae Moore, 1888. India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand); Pakistan.
Stauropus major Van Eecke, 1929. India (NE India, Andaman Islands); Myanmar.
Stauropus sikkimensis sikkimensis Moore, 1866. India (West Bengal, NE India); Nepal.
Stauropus sikkimensis khasianus Rothschild, 1917. India (Assam, Meghalaya).
Stauropus thiaucourti Schintlmeister, 2003. India (Tamil Nadu); Sri Lanka.
Similar species: Stauropus sikkimensis Moore, 1866
Typical Stauropus sikkimensis has post medial line curved rather than dentate. Medial area suffused with greenish.
Image at http://v3.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=284231 [accessed 19 April 2022]
References:
- OD: Stauropus alternus Walker, 1855. List Spec. Lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus. 5: 1020.
- Hampson, G. F. [1893]. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Moths, Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis, London. Pp. xxiii + 527. Saturniidae to Hypsidae 527 p - 333 fig. # 261, Pg. 149-150, Figure 91.
- http://www.jpmoth.org/~dmoth/75_Notodontidae/3074_Stauropus/3076%20Stauropus%20alternus/Stauropus%20alternus.htm
- http://www.nbair.res.in/insectpests/Neostauropus-alternus.php
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stauropus_alternus
- http://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-4/neostauropus/notodontidae_33_1.php
Lepidoptera > Noctuoidea > Notodontidae > Notodontinae > Stauropini > Stauropus
Cite this page along with its URL as:
Singh, R & R. Kasambe. 2022. Stauropus alternus Walker, 1855 – Lobster Moth. In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Moths of India, v. 3.30. Indian Foundation for Butterflies. http://www.mothsofindia.org/sp/356434/Stauropus-alternus
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