About Macara alydda (Druce, 1887)
Macara alydda is a species of moth in the family Megalopygidae. It was first described by Herbert Druce in 1887. This moth is found in Costa Rica and Napo Province, Ecuador, where it inhabits montane cloud forests. The forewings of Macara alydda are dark silky brown, with a broad band of pale fawn along the outer margin that extends from the apex to the anal angle. On the inner side of this pale fawn band, there is a series of silvery white spots that each have a black dot on the edge closest to the wing base. There are two additional black spots located close to the apex, and a pale fawn marking at the end of the wing cell. The hindwings are a uniform pale silky grey. The larvae of Macara alydda have been recorded feeding on a wide variety of host plants: these include Miconia capitellata, Miconia dielsii, Monochaetum lineatum, Andesanthus lepidotus (listed under its synonym Tibouchina lepidota), Nectandra species, Gunnera brephogea, Disterigma acuminatum, Psammisia species, Croton species, Alchornea pearcei, Alchornea grandis, Acalypha scandens, Acalypha macrostachya, Acalypha platyphylla, Erythrina edulis, Weinmania balbisiana, Clusia multiflora, Cayaponia macrocalix, Chusquea scandens, and Rubus species. Early instar larvae of this species feed together in large groups.
