Asota caricae
Introduction '''''Asota caricae''''', the '''tropical tiger moth''', is a species of noctuoid moth in the family Erebidae. It is found from the Indo-Australian tropics of India and Sri Lanka to Queensland and Vanuatu.
Description The wingspan is 51–58 mm. Palpi with black spots on 1st and 2nd joints. Forewings brownish fuscous. There is a basal orange patch with two subbasal black spots and a series of three spots on its outer edge, that matches the coloration of the scales of the thorax. The veins are streaked with white. There is a white spot at lower angle of the discal cell. Hindwings are orange yellow, with a black spot at the end of the discal cell, one beyond, one below vein 2 and a submarginal irregular series which sometimes becomes a nearly complete marginal band. The veins crossing the band are yellowish. Larva black above, with two dorsal white bands, a sub-dorsal black spot on each somite. A series of lateral black specks present with sparse black hairs. Ventral coloration brown, head capsule is reddish.
Ecology The larvae have been recorded on ''Ficus'', ''Broussonetia'', ''Mesua'', ''Tectona'' and ''Shorea'' species. Pupation is in a slight cocoon, fixed to a leaf. The species is found in forest and agricultural areas.Asota caricae caricae larva
Subspecies There are three described subspecies:*''Asota caricae caricae'' Fabricius, 1775 (South East Asia, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China to Papua New Guinea)*''Asota caricae euroa'' Rothschild, 1897  (Solomon Islands)*''Asota caricae melanesiensis'' Viette, 1951 (Melanesia)
References
External links *  Form ''purimargo'' info*  ''caricae caricae'' info*  Population Explosions of Tiger Moth Lead to Lepidopterism Mimicking Infectious Fever Outbreaks. *  The Snouted Tigers (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, Aganainae) of Papua Indonesia*  Tiger Moth, Project Noah