Black banded wasp moth - entry needed

Syntomeida melanthus

Dinu, before creating an entry for this moth, I looked it up to determine its family and I find that it is a promarily South American species and I found no indication of its presence in India. Are you sure of its identity?

Ken

Picture attached, Ken.
Found this insect in my garden last year during the rainy season when those hairy caterpillars are a real nuisance in our gabled roof house. I found its name in a book with the picture of a very identical moth. With the picture I've taken would you be able to identify this please?

Dinu,
I have tried to identify your moth. It is certainly in the family Arctiidae, and I think it is very probably in the Genus Amata. The closest I can get is the day-flying Wasp Moth - Amata huebneri: http://picasaweb.google.com/formeonly7/MothsOfIndia#5101235579124541458 But the yellow spots on the wing don't quite match yours.

Yours is certainly not Syntomeida melanthus

Ken

You may be right in your find. The colour textures vary slightly depending on geographic locations which may contribute to it. What do you think?

Also, what you have found is located within 200 miles of my location.

This message was edited Nov 25, 2010 10:05 AM

Hi Ken,

I've uploaded about 28 moth pictures here on Picasa Album: http://picasaweb.google.com/dinakar58/MothsUpload?feat=directlink . See if you can identify those which are possible so that I can add here on DG to the BF.

Dinu