Erebus caprimulgus

Latin. Scientific name of a species of large and robustly built moth, with a wingspan of around 12 centimeters and endemic to Southeast Asia. It belongs to the family of Noctuidae, i.e. owlet moths. In the larvae stage, this fruit piercing moth feeds on longkong and citrus, such as pomelo. Above, the wings are dark brown, with some diffuse black makings, as well as two large –yet obscure– eye spots, one on each of the forewings, while near the apex of each of the four wings of females there is a whitish to pale cream band, which is thin and wavy on the forewings and broad and rather straight on the hindwings, yet the latter is crisscrossed with a thin and wavy brown line. Erebus caprimulgus is nocturnal and during the day, adult moths rest on shaded tree trunks on rock faces, with the wings held flat. The ocelli, in combination with the colouration and markings of the wings above, are reminiscent to an owl's face, which can be seen in the Thai name, i.e. mot tah nok hook kheed khao (มอธตานกฮูกขีดขาว), literally ‘white-crossed owl's eyes moth’. Males are larger than females and darker on the upper-side, which never has pale cream markings, though those are present on the underside, irregular and resembling those of the female. 回