Eudocima materna
Encyclopedia
Eudocima materna is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family found in large parts of the world, including New Guinea
and Australia
. Reports from the United States
, Canada
and the French Antilles are now considered to be Eudocima apta
.
The wingspan
is about 60 mm.
The larvae feed on Menispermaceae
species, including Tinospora smilacina and Legnephora moorei
. It is considered a pest on citrus and other fruit, which it damages by piercing the fruit with its proboscis in order to suck the juice.
Some older authors have considered Eudocima apta
as a synonym of E. materna but more recent workers consider apta as a New World species that is very similar in appearance to materna.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family found in large parts of the world, including New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Reports from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the French Antilles are now considered to be Eudocima apta
Eudocima apta
Eudocima apta is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in large parts of Brazil. At times it migrates north into the United States.The wingspan is about 45 mm.-External links:**...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 60 mm.
The larvae feed on Menispermaceae
Menispermaceae
Menispermaceae, the botanical name for a family of flowering plants, has been universally recognized by taxonomists. Tubocurare, a neuromuscular blocker and active ingredient in curare, is derived from plants of this family....
species, including Tinospora smilacina and Legnephora moorei
Legnephora moorei
Legnephora moorei is a species of plant in the Menispermaceae family. Endemic to the rainforests of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Round-leaf Vine is a tall and large leafed climber usually noticed by fallen leaves on the rainforest floor. The southern most limit of natural distribution...
. It is considered a pest on citrus and other fruit, which it damages by piercing the fruit with its proboscis in order to suck the juice.
Some older authors have considered Eudocima apta
Eudocima apta
Eudocima apta is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found in large parts of Brazil. At times it migrates north into the United States.The wingspan is about 45 mm.-External links:**...
as a synonym of E. materna but more recent workers consider apta as a New World species that is very similar in appearance to materna.