About Spilosoma lubricipeda (Linnaeus, 1758)
This species, Spilosoma lubricipeda, is typically milky white, with an orange abdomen marked by black dorsal dots. Its forewings are sprinkled to varying degrees with sharply defined black dots; some dots are always present along the costa, and others are arranged in rows across the disc. The hindwings have discal dots, and often additional anal and other black dots. The antennae are black. In specimens from northern Scotland, the forewing is sandy yellow; this form is named aberration ochrea, and it also occurs occasionally as an exception in other locations. The forewing may darken to brown, which defines aberration brunnea Ober. In aberration luxerii Godt., the forewing has rose-red suffusion on the distal portion and brownish suffusion on the proximal portion. In aberration walkeri Curt., the black dots merge to form radial streaks. In Japan, Spilosoma lubricipeda most commonly occurs as the form sangaica Walk., which differs from the typical lubricipeda only by having sparser black dots, especially in the outer area of the forewing. Aberrant specimens similar to sangaica also occur in Europe, and are named paucipuncta Fuchs. In contrast to paucipuncta, there is krieghoffi Pabst, which has very heavy black dotting. Even further reduction of black dots produces aberration unipuncta Strand, in which there is only one dot on the hindwing. What was previously described as -punctarium Cr. is now recognized as the full species Spilosoma punctarium (Stoll, [1782]); it is distinguished from Spilosoma lubricipeda by having a carmine abdomen with sharp transverse spots, and rather more heavily spotted wings.
