# Utetheisa

Utetheisa is a genus of tiger moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1819.

## Description

Palpi porrect (extending forward), extending beyond the frons. Antennae ciliated. Forewings long and narrow, where the outer margin is short and somewhat erect. Vein 3 from before angle of cell. Veins 4 and 5 from angle, vein 6 from upper angle and vein 7 to 10 from a short areole. Hindwing with vein 5 from above angle of cell. Vein 6 and 7 from upper angle and vein 8 from middle of cell.
Caterpillars of many Utetheisa species feed on Crotalaria (rattlebox), and hence the genus as a whole is often called rattlebox moths. The adults usually have bright aposematic coloration and contain toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are used as a chemical defense and are also incorporated into the sex pheromones of the males.

## Taxonomy

The members of its subgenera Pitasila, Atasca, and Raanya were formerly included in Nyctemera. Utetheisa is placed in the tribe Callimorphina or in the Nyctemerina; some treatments merge the two subtribes.
Utetheisa is monophyletic.

## Selected species

Species of Utetheisa include:
Subgenus Utetheisa
* Utetheisa amhara Jordan, 1939
* Utetheisa antennata Swinhoe, 1893
* Utetheisa clareae Robinson, 1971
* Utetheisa connerorum Roque-Albelo & Landry, 2009
* Utetheisa cruentata (Butler, 1881)
* Utetheisa devriesi Hayes, 1975
* Utetheisa diva (Mabille, 1879)
* Utetheisa elata (Fabricius, 1798)
** Utetheisa elata fatela Jordan, 1939
** Utetheisa elata fatua Heyn, 1906
* Utetheisa galapagensis (Wallengren, 1860)
* Utetheisa henrii Roque-Albelo & Landry, 2009
* Utetheisa lactea (Butler, 1884)
** Utetheisa lactea aldabrensis T. B. Fletcher, 1910
* Utetheisa lotrix (Cramer, [1777]) – crotalaria moth
* Utetheisa maddisoni Robinson & Robinson, 1980
* Utetheisa ornatrix (Linnaeus, 1758) – ornate moth, bella moth
* Utetheisa pectinata
* Utetheisa perryi Hayes, 1975
* Utetheisa pulchella (Linnaeus, 1758) – crimson-speckled flunkey
* Utetheisa pulchelloides Hampson, 1907 – heliotrope moth (syn: Utetheisa dorsifumata Prout, 1920)
* Utetheisa salomonis
* Utetheisa semara Moore, 1860
* Utetheisa sumatrana Rothschild, 1910
Subgenus Atasca
* Utetheisa aegrotum (Swinhoe, 1892)
* Utetheisa albilinea De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa amboina De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa amosa (Swinhoe, 1903)
* Utetheisa ampatica De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa aruensis De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa bouruana (Swinhoe, 1917)
* Utetheisa ceramensis De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa externa (Swinhoe, 1917)
* Utetheisa frosti (Prout, 1918)
* Utetheisa pellex (Linnaeus, 1758)
* Utetheisa separata (Walker, 1864)
* Utetheisa watubela De Vos, 2007
Subgenus Raanya
* Utetheisa albipuncta (Druce, 1888)
** Utetheisa albipuncta zoilides (Prout, 1920)
Subgenus Pitasila
* Utetheisa assamica De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa abraxoides (Walker, 1862)
* Utetheisa balinensis De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa disrupta (Butler, 1887)
** Utetheisa disrupta burica (Holland, 1900)
* Utetheisa distincta (Swinhoe, 1903) (syn: Utetheisa sangira (Swinhoe, 1903))
* Utetheisa inconstans (Butler, 1880) (syn: Utetheisa okinawensis (Inoue, 1982))
* Utetheisa flavothoracica De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa fractifascia (Wileman, 1911)
* Utetheisa guttulosa (Walker, 1864)
* Utetheisa latifascia (Hopffer, 1874)
* Utetheisa leucospilota (Moore, 1877)
* Utetheisa limbata (Roepke, 1949)
* Utetheisa mendax De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa nivea De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa pala (Röber, 1891)
* Utetheisa selecta (Walker, 1854)
* Utetheisa specularis (Walker, 1856) (syn: Utetheisa macklotti (Vollenhoven, 1863))
** Utetheisa specularis extendens De Vos, 2007
** Utetheisa specularis oroya (Swinhoe, 1903)
* Utetheisa timorensis (Roepke, 1954)
* Utetheisa transiens (Jurriaanse & Lindemans, 1919)
* Utetheisa vandenberghi (Nieuwenhuis, 1948)
* Utetheisa varians (Walker, 1854)
* Utetheisa variolosa (Felder & Rogenhofer, [1869] 1874)
* Utetheisa vollenhovii (Snellen, 1890)
* Utetheisa witti De Vos, 2007
* Utetheisa ypsilon De Vos, 2007