Beautiful Utetheisa

a Bella moth, also known as Beautiful Utetheisa, in the Utetheisa genus of tiger mothsAlso known as a Bella Moth, the Beautiful Utetheisa belongs to the Utetheisa genus of tiger moths. Unlike most moths, this moth is diurnal (day-active), and contains warning coloration signaling to potential predators that they are not very tasty; their caterpillars feed on species of Crotalaria plants which contain toxic alkaloids that then become incorporated into the larvae and subsequently, the adult moths as well. Larvae of the well-known Monarch Butterfly utilize the same type of defense mechanism, from the toxic alkaloids contained in the milkweed plants upon which the caterpillars exclusively feed.