Stemorrhages sericea, the large emerald pearl, is a moth of the subfamily of Spilomelinae within the family Crambidae. It lives throughout Africa south of the Sahara,[1] and the Indian Ocean islands of Réunion, Madagascar, Mauritius and the Comoros.
| Large emerald pearl | |
|---|---|
| |
| Hiding on leaf underside | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Crambidae |
| Genus: | Stemorrhages |
| Species: | S. sericea
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| Binomial name | |
| Stemorrhages sericea (Drury, 1773)
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| Synonyms | |
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Adults are pale turquoise with a brown stripe at the front edge of the wings. They have a brush of brown scent disseminating scales, called androconia, on the tail that can be everted for mate attraction.
The larvae feed on species of the Rubiaceae (including Gardenia jasminoides), the Apocynaceae (including Nerium oleander, Tabernanthe iboga, Tabernaemontana persicaefolia and Ervatamia coronaria), and besides on Raphia and Afrocarpus.[1][2]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stemorrhages sericea.
- ^ a b De Prins, J. & De Prins, W. (2013). "Stemorrhages sericea (Drury, 1773)". Afromoths – An online database of Afrotropical moth species. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ Goff, R.; et al. "Stemorrhages sericea (Drury, 1773)". African Moths. Retrieved 16 March 2014.