Please wait while the next page arrives.
Please wait while the next page arrives.
Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Diphthera festiva
Lepidoptera / Nolidae
Diphthera festiva has lemon-yellow forewings crossed by a bluish-grey lattice. Its striped caterpillars feed gregariously on tropical and subtropical plants.
Read the species account
Adults span approximately 37–48 mm. Metallic bluish-grey lines cross lemon-yellow forewings, with three rows of dots near the outer margin. The thorax is similarly yellow and patterned; the abdomen is black and the hindwings dark grey with pale fringes. [1]
The range includes tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas and the Caribbean. In the United States the principal distribution runs from South Carolina to Texas along the Gulf region, with occasional more northerly strays. [1]
Females lay clusters of rounded white eggs. Larvae form a cocoon of silk and plant debris before pupation. [4]
Recorded larval hosts include Melochia, Waltheria, Lespedeza, soybean and several other plant genera. [1]
Young larvae scrape leaf surfaces; later instars consume the blades, leaving veins exposed. In Guanacaste, Costa Rica, dense groups can rapidly defoliate host plants. [4]
Caterpillars are cream with black dorsal bands, an orange-red head and anal plate, and a black lateral stripe. The dorsal bands end at this stripe. [1]
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
Dunford and Barbara; University of Florida IFAS, EENY 326 · Accessed 2026-10-13
Mississippi State University, Moth Photographers Group · Accessed 2026-10-13
Zahiri and colleagues; Cladistics 29:337–359 (2013) · Accessed 2026-10-13
Dinia Martinez; Área de Conservación Guanacaste (2017; updated 2020) · Accessed 2026-10-13
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
Return to the Entomological Atlas ↑
.jpg){kind=link}