| Black Witch (Ascalapha odorata (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Ascalapha odorata (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Black Witch French name: Papillon-deuil, Sorcière noire. Order: Lepidoptera Suborder: Heterocera Family: Erebidae Subfamily: Erebinae Wingspan: Up to 160 mm for males and 120 mm for females. Biotope: Woodlands, including in urban areas. Geographic area: South of North America, from Texas to Florida, Central America and South America as far as in Argentina, the Caribbean. Some moths migrate further north into the United States between July and October. Flight time: Variable depending on regions. Number of generations : Caterpillar: Black and greenish brown, with rather wide black dorsal and lateral stripes (not always very visible on dark caterpillars) and four lighter coloured patches along the back. Host plant: Tropical plants of the Acacia, Pithecellobium and Cassia genera, among others. |
The Black Witch is noticeable by its large size. The apex of the fore wings is rather sharp. The general colour is blackish to dark brown. The tip of the hind wings bears a double eyespot with a blue sheen. The fore wings show a small greenish eyespot, outlined with orange, and having the shape of the number 9. This is typical to this species. You can recognize females by the presence of a whitish median band. |
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I have shot this picture at Roura, at Camps Patawa, during a light trap night session. The large size and the lack of whitish median band indicate one male. |
André Bon November 2014