Error message
Unable to fetch location details at this time.
Pacific fruit-piercing moth
Eudocima sp. (Othreis sp.)
-1.8939, 138.767
Field Notes
Description:
A beautiful leaf-mimicking moth of the genus Eudocima. Perhaps E. fullonia, a widespread tropical pest species native to the Indo-Malaysian region, and widespread throughout the Pacific basin, Asia, and Africa. (see map at http://www.plantwise.org/default.aspx?site=234&page=4393&speciesID=1681… ).
Habitat:
This moth spotted in the early morning on the open porch/terrace of a house in a coastal village, and was no doubt attracted during the previous night by the porch light. Surrounding habitats included sea coast, disturbed mixed sago-freshwater swamp forest and a forested limestone ridge.
Notes:
The Pacific fruit-piercing moth attacks many fruit and vegetable crops. For most moth and butterfly pests, the caterpillars are the damaging stage. The Pacific fruit-piercing moth differs in this aspect because it is the adult moth that is the damaging stage, and the larvae are essentially not harmful. http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/crop/type/othreis.htm See an image of Eudocima fullonia here http://www.ausinsales.com/Noctuidae/Othreis%20fullonia.html See another Eudocima sp from Papua here http://www.flickr.com/photos/thirnbeck/432129271/
Comments (2)