Jamaican Sunset Moth
Illustration of Urania sloanus by W.F. Kirby
Scientific Name: Urania sloanus
Conservation Status: Extinct
Range: Jamaica
Habitat: Lowland rainforest
Description
The Jamaican Sunset Moth is an extinct endemic moth to the island of Jamaica. It is black with iridescent red, blue and green markings. These markings do not have pigment but instead is a refraction of light on ribbon-like scales on the moth’s wigs. The markings act as a warning to predators expressing its toxicity.
Unlike most moth species, the Jamaican Sunset Moth was diurnal (active in the day).
It was last seen in the 1890s. The last documented specimen is believed to have been at Cinchona (near Portland Gap) in the Blue Mountains by William Fawcett, Superintendent of Public Gardens in 1897 (V. Turland, pers comm., Oct 31,2019).
Range
It was known to be found in lowland areas of the Blue Mountains in Portland.
Illustration of Jamaican Sunset Moth by W.F. Kirby
Diet
Adult Jamaican Sunset Moth’s feed on the nectar of several flowers while the larvae are more specific feeders. The larvae feed on Euphorbiacea plants particularly those belonging to the Omphalea genus. They gain their toxicity from the high concentration of toxins in the leaves they consume.
Conservation Status
The Jamaican Sunset Moth is extinct and is one of five endemic Jamaican species listed on the Global Wildlife Conservation’s List of Lost Species.
The moth is thought to have gone extinct due to a combination of habitat destruction and loss of larval food source, mostly due to the clearing of land for agriculture.
