Cream-striped Owl
Afrikaans name: Uilmot
Cream-striped Owl moth
Cyligramma latona
The Cream-striped Owl is a large species of moth with a wingspan of around 7.5 cm.
Both pairs of wings show the cream stripe and each fore-wing has the large eye-spot. The eye markings are a form of defensive camouflage as potential predators see the eyes and can be tricked into believing that they are dealing with a large species of bird (an owl perhaps) and ignore it.
The Cream-striped Owl is attracted to light and these large insects are commonly found inside homes at night. They are also attracted by the smell of over-ripened fruit and even alchohol.
In South Africa they occur in the southern and eastern regions of the country.
References and further reading
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