Leaf Skeletonizer (Adult Moth)
This moth was perched on foliage during daylight hours. Iten, Kenya, July 2014. Length is about 12 mm.
Zygaenid moths, unlike many moths, are primarily diurnal, actively flying during daylight hours. They do not fly fast and often alight on foliage where it would seem they would be easy prey for birds. But they also display warning coloration because they are often well defended by virtue of toxic chemicals in their bodies. This species appears to be part of a mimicry complex involving a similarly marked Soldier Beetle, f. Cantharidae. The larvae shown below might be a different species of Zygaenidae. The caterpillars feed as a group, advancing along a front across the leaf, leaving behind the skeletonized leaf. Like the adults they are often conspicuously colored to warn of their toxic nature.
These larvae are feeding together on a leaf of Viscum. Iten, Kenya, July 2014.