Utetheisa ornatrix (Linnaeus, 1758)

Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae, ed. 10, vol. 1: p. 511. Described in the
genus Phalaena (Noctua). Translated from the Latin original.

ornatrix. 80. P. Noctua with bristle-shaped antennae, smooth, with depressed red
wings dotted black; the hind wings variegated white and black. M. L. U.

Habitat in America.

Fore wings above yellowish with the margin red with black dots: beneath red;
hind wings with black spots; size of P. Argus.

Hampson, G. F. (1901). Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British
Museum, vol. 3: pp. 485-486.

2090. Utetheisa ornatrix.
Noctua ornatrix, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 511 (1758); Drury, Ill. Ex. Ent. i. pl.
24. f. 2; Cram. Pap. Exot. ii. pl. 166, C, D, F; Hübn. Samml. Ex. Schmett. ii.;
Stretch, Zyg. & Bomb. N. Am. p. 58, pl. 2. f. 18; Möschl. Abh. Senck. Ges. xiv.
p. 32, f. 21; Druce, Biol. Centr.-Am., Het. i. p. 134; Kirby, Cat. Het. p. 345.
Deiopeia ornatrix, var. stretchii, Butl. Trans. Ent. Soc. 1877, p. 361; Stretch,
Zyg. & Bomb. N. Am. p. 59, pl. 2. f. 17.
Deiopeia pura, Butl. Trans. Ent. Soc. 1877, p. 360.

Head and thorax white, sometimes tinged with brown; 3rd joint of palpi,
antennae, and spots on frons, vertex of head, tegulae, patagia, and thorax
black; shoulders with scarlet patches; pectus spotted with black; legs striped
and banded with black; abdomen white, sometimes tinged with fuscous towards
extremity and on ventral surface; usually with sublateral series of black spots.
Fore wing white suffused with pink, and sometimes tinged with brown; the costa
with five black spots with scarlet streaks between them; basal black points on
costa and below cell usually present; a subbasal scarlet point below the cell;
an antemedial black point below vein 1 usually present; two discoidal black
points; subterminal and terminal series of black points with scarlet spots
between them, and sometimes some scarlet spots before the subterminal points
developed into streaks towards costa and inner margin. Hind wing white, the
costal area tinged with pink; a large irregular apical black patch with pink
spot on it before apex, continued as a band to submedian fold or vein 1,
developed into a hamate patch at middle; a discoidal band sometimes present, the
black from apical patch running along subcostal nervure to middle and up vein 2
almost to cell. Underside of fore wing and costal area of hind wing deep
crimson.

Ab. 1. stretchi. Fore wing with antemedial and medial series of black spots;
four black spots from costa to lower angle of cell, and a postmedial series
excurved from below costa to vein 3, then incurved; hind wing tinged with pink
to median nervure.

Hab. Antigua (Gregory), 1 ♂, 1 ♀; St. Thomas, 'Challenger' Coll., 1 ♀; St. Kitts
(Markham), 2 ♀; Nevis, 1 ♀; St. Lucia (Eliott), 2 ♀; Dominica (Eliott), 2 ♀; St.
Vincent (H. H. Smith), 3 ♀; Barbados (Frampton), 1 ♂, 2 ♀; Trinidad (Broadway),
1 ♀; Mexico, Mazatlan, 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Jalapa (Hoege, Trujillo), 3 ♂, 2 ♀, Presidio
(Forrer), 2 ♂, Milpas (Forrer), 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Tepic (Richardson), 2 ♀, Guerrero (H.
H. Smith), 2 ♀, Durango (Becker), 1 ♀, Jalisco (Schumann, Richardson), 2 ♂, 1 ♀,
Misantla (Trujillo), 1 ♀, Cuernavaco (Godman), 2 ♂, Vera Cruz (H. H. Smith), 1
♂, 1 ♀, Orizaba (Godman), 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Tabisco (H. H. Smith), 2 ♀, Puebla
(Richardson), 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Yucatan (Gaumer), 1 ♂; Honduras (Blancaneaux), 1 ♂, 1 ♀,
type stretchi; Guatemala (Champion), 6 ♂, 6 ♀, type pura; Nicaragua (Richardson,
Belt), 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Costa Rica (Rogers, Underwood), 2 ♂, 6 ♀; Panama (Champion), 4
♂, 1 ♀, Godman-Salvin Coll.; Venezuela, 1 ♀; Ecuador, Chiguinda, 1 ♂, 1 ♀;
Bolivia, Cocha-bamba, 2 ♀; Brazil, L. Amazon, Chaves (Austen), 1 ♂, Pernambuco
(Ridley), 2 ♂, 3 ♀, Theresopolis (Michaelis), 1 ♂, Rio Janeiro, 6 ♂, 5 ♀, São
Paulo (Jones), 2 ♂; Peru, Callao (J. J. Walker), 3 ♂; Galapagos Is. (Darwin,
Cookson), 2 ♂; Marquesas Is. (J. J. Walker), 1 ♂. Exp. 38-46 millim.

Seitz, A. (1919). Utetheisa. In: Seitz, A. (ed.), The Macrolepidoptera of the
World, vol. 6, The American Bombyces and Sphinges: p. 300, pl. 38 h (German
edition: Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde 6: 300).

U. ornatrix L. (38 h). White, forewing tinged rosy with small red spots along
the costal and distal margins, before and between which there are few black
dots. Hindwing in the distal part with black, confluent spots, which in the ♂
are more confined to the marginal area, while in the ♀ they often occupy more
than half the wing. -- stretchi Btlr. (= pura Btlr.) has more numerous, small,
black dots on the forewing, which also penetrate the disc in rows, the hindwing
being tinted rosy-red as far as the median. From South Florida and the Antilles
through Mexico, Central and the whole of South America as far as Argentina, in
some districts very common, flying almost throughout the year.