Macrobrochis gigas is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1854. It is found in China (Yunnan),[1] India (Sikkim), Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The habitat consists of woodlands.

Macrobrochis gigas
From Peravoor, Kerala, India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Macrobrochis
Species:
M. gigas
Binomial name
Macrobrochis gigas
(Walker, 1854)
Synonyms
  • Lithosia gigas Walker, 1854
  • Macrobrochis interstitialis Herrich-Schäffer, [1856]
  • Macrobrochis leucospilota Moore, 1878
  • Macrobrochis nigrescens Moore, 1878
  • Macrobrochis atrata Butler, 1881
  • Macrobrochis albicans Butler, 1881
Larva

Adults have been recorded on wing from March to May. There is one generation per year. The species is possibly involved in a mimicry relationship with Eterusia aedea.[2]

Macrobrochis gigas differs from congeners in the following morphological characters: orange head and collar; thorax black above with green metallic tinge and orange below; tegulae striped with orange; abdomen greenish black, the extremity and ventral surface orange; abdomen with white bands or lateral spots on the hind borders of each segment; forewing black with a green tinge, with a small white spot at the base, with a larger one beyond it, and a spot at the end of the cell and another below it; hindwing with the basal half white, the outer half black.[3][4] Mass aggregation and feeding behavior of this species adult and larvae observed in several sites in South India[5]

References

edit
  1. ^ Savela, Markku. "Macrobrochis gigas (Walker, 1854)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  2. ^ Hong Kong Moths
  3. ^ Walker, F (1854). List of the specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Part I. London: Trustees of British Museum (Natural History). p. 976.
  4. ^ Arjun, Charambilly Purushothaman; Deepak, Chatoth Kooteri; Rajesh, Thazhathe Purakkal (2020-12-21). "Scientific Note: Unusual aggregation of Macrobrochis gigas (Walker, 1854) in southern India (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini)". Tropical Lepidoptera Research. 30 (2): 78–80. doi:10.5281/ZENODO.4317533.
  5. ^ Arjun, Charambilly Purushothaman; Deepak, Chatoth Kooteri; Rajesh, Thazhathe Purakkal (2020-12-21). "Scientific Note: Unusual aggregation of Macrobrochis gigas (Walker, 1854) in southern India (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini)". Tropical Lepidoptera Research. 30 (2): 78–80. doi:10.5281/ZENODO.4317533.
 
Figure 2: A. Large swarm of Macrobrochis gigas flying around Terminalia paniculata (Combretaceae) at Kodalipet, Coorg District Karnataka (15 June 2014). B. Macrobrochis gigas feeding on nectar from Terminalia paniculata flowers, Kodalipet, Coorg District Karnataka (15 June 2014). C. Macrobrochis gigas larvae feeding on algae at Nileshwar, Kasaragod District, Kerala (12 July 2016). D. Macrobrochis gigas larval aggregation on a coconut tree (Cocos nucifera, Arecaceae) Nileshwar, Kasaragod District, Kerala (12 July 2016).[1]


  1. ^ Arjun, Charambilly Purushothaman; Deepak, Chatoth Kooteri; Rajesh, Thazhathe Purakkal (2020-12-21). "Scientific Note: Unusual aggregation of Macrobrochis gigas (Walker, 1854) in southern India (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini)". Tropical Lepidoptera Research. 30 (2): 78–80. doi:10.5281/ZENODO.4317533.