Utetheisa ornatrix

Utetheisa ornatrix
Utetheisa ornatrix
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Arctiidae
Genus: Utetheisa
Species: U. ornatrix
Binomial name
Utetheisa ornatrix
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms
  • Utetheisa bella (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Ornate Moth or Bella Moth (Utetheisa ornatrix) is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found in the Eastern United States.

The wingspan is 33-46 mm.

The larvae feed on Crotalaria, Melilot and sometimes Comptonia species, which contain poisonous organic compounds called Alkaloids. As an adult, the moths extrude the compound in a frothy spit as a defense against predation.

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