New Species of Yellow Slug Moth Discovered in China
Posted on June 4, 2013
A new species of yellow slug moth, M. tanaognatha, has been discovered in China. The moth genus Monema are called slug moths because they resemble slugs as caterpillars. A recent study of the Monema genus in China recorded 4 species and a subspecies, one of which is newly described to science. The new species (pictured above) has the characteristic yellow coloration for the genus with a yellow to pale red face.
The larvae of the genus resemble slugs. They have suckers instead of legs which help them move like a rolling wave rather than walking on individual legs. They also use a lubricant (a liquified silk) to help their movement, which is also kind of slug-like. The larva of M. flavescens flavescens is pictured below.
The research was published here in Zookeys.