72.0341 BF2055

Beautiful Utetheisa Utetheisa bella

(Linnaeus, 1758)

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Wingspan c.48 mm.

This very colourful species is a rare vagrant from North America, with just one record in 1948 on Skokholm Island, Pembrokeshire. It is possible that this occurrence was ship-assisted.

The species resembles Crimson Speckled Utetheisa pulchella, but has pink hindwings and usually more extensive salmon-pink on the forewing.

In their native land, the larvae feed on species of rattlebox (Crotalaria).