Lily Borer

This is the Lily Borer or Amaryllis Borer. In most publications this is a species found in Europe, Africa, Japan and Australia. It is not supposed to be in Mexico. This can be a serious pest of Amaryllis, Clivias and Lilies. The larvae are very colorful, black and white with an orange head. The tail segment is also orange and looks remarkably like the head capsule in coloring and markings. The adult moth is comparatively quite plain, brown with subtle markings (see the references for a picture of the adult). These pupate in the ground near the host plant without a cocoon. This species belongs to the Family Erebidae (Noctuidae).