Macrosoma conifera

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Macrosoma conifera is a moth-like butterfly in the Hedylidae family. It was first described by Warren in 1897 and originally placed in the genus Phellinodes. Malcolm J. Scoble moved it to the genus Macrosoma in 1986.

Distribution:
It is found from Guatemala southward to eastern Brazil, including Paraguay, Gorgona Island off Colombia, Cusco in Peru, the Amazonas region of Venezuela, Trinidad, Suriname, French Guiana, and Belém at the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil.

Appearance:
The wings are greyish brown. The forewing has a semi-translucent area in the middle and usually a prominent triangular white patch on the leading edge (costa); the apex is dark grey-brown. The hindwing may have a slightly sinuate (wavy) edge and a semi-translucent central area with dark grey-brown color. The forewing length is 21–26 mm.

Identification:
The antennae are not bipectinate (not feathered) in either sex. The species lacks chestnut-brown wings, which helps distinguish it from M. hedylaria. It is similar in wing pattern to M. semiermis, but M. conifera has filiform (thread-like) antennae instead of bipectinate ones.