Basiothia aureata
Encyclopedia
The Gold Dotted Temnora (Basiothia aureata) is a moth
of the Sphingidae
family. It is found in wooded habitats from Liberia
to Kenya
in the east and to Angola
, Zambia
and Zimbabwe
in the south.
The length of the forewings is 20–23 mm. The head and body are reddish-brown and the abdomen is decorated with tiny golden dots. The forewings are reddish-brown mottled with pinkish-brown, particularly at the base, the apex and above the tomus. There are numerous oblique darker transverse lines. The hindwings are paler, with a dark brown margin. The females are sometimes darker.
The larvae feed on Impatiens
species. They have a green head and body with a darker green dorsal line and traces of a darker subdorsal line with a few black specks in it. Pupations takes place in surface litter. The pupa has a pale bone colour with a greenish dorsal stripe on the abdomen and a series of subdorsal black dots.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Sphingidae
Sphingidae
Sphingidae is a family of moths , commonly known as hawk moths, sphinx moths and hornworms, that includes about 1,200 species . It is best represented in the tropics but there are species in every region . They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their rapid,...
family. It is found in wooded habitats from Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
in the east and to Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
, Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
in the south.
The length of the forewings is 20–23 mm. The head and body are reddish-brown and the abdomen is decorated with tiny golden dots. The forewings are reddish-brown mottled with pinkish-brown, particularly at the base, the apex and above the tomus. There are numerous oblique darker transverse lines. The hindwings are paler, with a dark brown margin. The females are sometimes darker.
The larvae feed on Impatiens
Impatiens
Impatiens is a genus of about 850–1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and tropics. Together with the puzzling Hydrocera triflora, this genus makes up the family Balsaminaceae...
species. They have a green head and body with a darker green dorsal line and traces of a darker subdorsal line with a few black specks in it. Pupations takes place in surface litter. The pupa has a pale bone colour with a greenish dorsal stripe on the abdomen and a series of subdorsal black dots.