Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (January 2007)
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]}

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

• Hypercompe jaguarina
• Hypercompe kennedyi
• Hypercompe kinkelini
• Hypercompe laeta
• Hypercompe lemairei
• Hypercompe leucarctioides
• Hypercompe magdelenae
• Hypercompe marcescens
• Hypercompe melanoleuca
• Hypercompe mielkei
• Hypercompe mus
• Hypercompe muzina

Food plant: Theobroma cacao

• Hypercompe nemophila
• Hypercompe neurophylla
• Hypercompe nigriloba
• Hypercompe nigriplaga
• Hypercompe obscura
• Hypercompe obsolescens
• Hypercompe obtecta
• Hypercompe ockendeni
• Hypercompe ocularia
• Hypercompe ochreator
• Hypercompe orbiculata
• Hypercompe orsa

Recorded food plants include Lantana, Senecio and Sphagneticola

• Hypercompe oslari
• Hypercompe permaculata Many-spotted Tiger
• Hypercompe perplexa
• Hypercompe persephone
• Hypercompe persola
• Hypercompe pertestacea
• Hypercompe peruvensis
• Hypercompe praeclara
• Hypercompe robusta
• Hypercompe scribonia, Giant Leopard Moth
• Hypercompe simplex
• Hypercompe suffusa
• Hypercompe tenebra
• Hypercompe tessellata
• Hypercompe testacea
• Hypercompe theophila
• Hypercompe trinitatis
• Hypercompe turruptianoides

External links

• Hypercompe at Markku Savela's Lepidoptera site