Mustilia falcipennis

Mustilia falcipennis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Endromidae
Genus:	Mustilia
Species:	M. falcipennis
Binomial name
Mustilia falcipennis Walker, 1865

Mustilia falcipennis is a moth in the Endromidae family. It is found in India and Bhutan.^[1]

The wingspan is about 52 mm. The head and collar are chestnut, while the thorax and abdomen are purplish red-brown, the latter yellowish towards the extremity. The forewings are red-brown, suffused with grey. The hindwings have ayellow costal half, while the inner half is red-brown.^[2]

The larvae feed on the leaves of Symplocos species.^[3] The body of mature larvae is dark brown, speckled with minute yellow dots within each of which a short bristle is found. There is an extensile sublateral flap of skin on the metathoracic and two anterior abdominal segments. When the larva is disturbed this flap is expanded, with the head and anterior part of the thorax retracted, the inflatable organ expands to resemble an eye, and the caudal horn is swung from side to side. Pupation takes place in a small cocoon of tough brown silk spun amongst leaves of the host plant.^[4]

References

1. BOLD Systems - Taxonomy Browser
2. George F. (George Francis) Hampson. Moths (Volume 1)
3. The Moths of Borneo
4. Immature Stages of Four Bombycidae Species of Taiwan