Hypercompe

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Hypercompe

Giant Leopard Moth,
Hypercompe scribonia

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Suborder:	Macrolepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Arctiidae
Subfamily:	Arctiinae
Tribe:	Arctiini
Genus:	Hypercompe Hübner, 1819

Synonyms

Ecpantheria Hübner, 1820
Agaposoma C. Felder, 1874
Catenina Burmeister, 1883

Hypercompe is a genus of moths of the family Arctiidae. There are over 80 species found throughout the Americas. Several species were formerly separated in Ecpantheria which is now regarded as a junior synonym. They are typically large moths with white forewings heavily spotted with black, and brightly-colored abdomens which are exposed when the moth is threatened. This is a form of aposematism; they produce copious amounts of foul-smelling defensive chemicals, which they ooze from special points of weakness on the thorax, to discourage would-be predators without having to be eaten.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Species

Species include:

Hypercompe abdominalis

Recorded food plants include Brassica and Veronica

Hypercompe albescens

Food plant: Musa

Hypercompe albicornis

Recorded food plants include Helianthus, Luffa and Phaseolus

Hypercompe albiscripta
Hypercompe alpha
Hypercompe amulaensis
Hypercompe andromela
Hypercompe anomala
Hypercompe atra
Hypercompe bari
Hypercompe beckeri
Hypercompe bolivar
Hypercompe brasiliensis
Hypercompe bricenoi
Hypercompe burmeisteri
Hypercompe campinasa

Food plant: Gossypium herbaceum

Hypercompe castronis
Hypercompe caudata
Hypercompe cermellii

Recorded food plants include Gossypium, Plantago and Solanum

Hypercompe chelifer
Hypercompe confusa
Hypercompe conspersa
Hypercompe contexta
Hypercompe cotyora
Hypercompe cretacea
Hypercompe cunigunda

Food plant: Syagrus romanzoffiana

Hypercompe decora
Hypercompe deflorata
Hypercompe detecta
Hypercompe dissimilis
Hypercompe dognini
Hypercompe dubia
Hypercompe ecpantherioides
Hypercompe eridanus

Recorded food plants include Cissus, Citrus, Erythrina, Ipomoea, Musa, Panicum and Vanilla

Hypercompe euripides
Hypercompe extrema
Hypercompe flavopunctata
Hypercompe fuscescens
Hypercompe gaujoni
Hypercompe hambletoni

Recorded food plants include Bidens, Eriobotrya, Gossypium, Hibiscus, Manihot and Ricinus

Hypercompe heterogena
Hypercompe icasia

Recorded food plants include Apium, Cecropia, Cissus, Citrus, Erechtites, Erythrina, Ipomoea, Musa, Phaseolus, Psidium, Solanum, Vanilla

Hypercompe indecisa

Recorded food plants include Beta, Brassica, Citrus, Cucurbita, Datura, Diospyros, Fragaria, Hippeastrum, Leucanthemum, Persea, Pisum, Prunus, Ricinus, Rosa, Senecio, Solanum, Spiraea and Zea