Stictoptera cucullioides
Encyclopedia
Stictoptera cucullioides is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found from the Indo-Australian tropics to the Bismarck Islands and Queensland
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
, where it is found on Oahu
, Molokai
, Maui
and Hawaii
.
Larvae have been recorded on Mesua
and Calophyllum
species (including Calophyllum inophyllurn) and have been reared on Garcinia
species. Other recorded foodplants include Clusia rosea, Garcinia carnbogia and Mammea americana.
The larvae is fat, slightly tumid at the posterior end and with a berry-shaped swelling over the anterior part of the abdomen and thoracic segments. The head is half the breadth of the body. The skin of the body is smooth, translucent, but the more or less round head is brown to red-brown. The body is light whitish green with white lines. Another batch of larvae on the same host (Mesua
) were darker, especially the dorsal line which was blackish flanked by broadish dull white lines. A third batch (on Calophyllum
) were more purplish in the dark areas but generally similarly marked. The length at maturity is approximately 30 mm and the breadth 5 mm.
The larvae tend to be found when their host-plant is in flush, especially when the leaves are yellow-white to pinkish. The larvae rest fully stretched on the undersides of the tender new leaves. They move actively from place to place. They turn pinkish before pupating, going down to the earth to make a fairly close-fitting dense cocoon of silk incorporating particles of earth and leaf litter near the surface. The pupa is attached lightly by the cremaster inside.
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. It is found from the Indo-Australian tropics to the Bismarck Islands and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where it is found on Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
, Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
and Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
.
Larvae have been recorded on Mesua
Mesua
Mesua is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae, native to tropical southern Asia. Common names include ironwood and rose chestnut....
and Calophyllum
Calophyllum
Calophyllum is a flowering plant genus of around 180-200 species of tropical evergreen trees in the family Calophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words καλος , meaning "beautiful", and φυλλον , meaning "leaf." Its members are native to Australasia, Madagascar, Eastern Africa,...
species (including Calophyllum inophyllurn) and have been reared on Garcinia
Garcinia
Garcinia is a plant genus of the family Clusiaceae native to Asia, Australia, tropical and southern Africa, and Polynesia. The number of species is highly disputed, with various sources recognizing between 50 and about 300 taxa as specifically valid...
species. Other recorded foodplants include Clusia rosea, Garcinia carnbogia and Mammea americana.
The larvae is fat, slightly tumid at the posterior end and with a berry-shaped swelling over the anterior part of the abdomen and thoracic segments. The head is half the breadth of the body. The skin of the body is smooth, translucent, but the more or less round head is brown to red-brown. The body is light whitish green with white lines. Another batch of larvae on the same host (Mesua
Mesua
Mesua is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae, native to tropical southern Asia. Common names include ironwood and rose chestnut....
) were darker, especially the dorsal line which was blackish flanked by broadish dull white lines. A third batch (on Calophyllum
Calophyllum
Calophyllum is a flowering plant genus of around 180-200 species of tropical evergreen trees in the family Calophyllaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words καλος , meaning "beautiful", and φυλλον , meaning "leaf." Its members are native to Australasia, Madagascar, Eastern Africa,...
) were more purplish in the dark areas but generally similarly marked. The length at maturity is approximately 30 mm and the breadth 5 mm.
The larvae tend to be found when their host-plant is in flush, especially when the leaves are yellow-white to pinkish. The larvae rest fully stretched on the undersides of the tender new leaves. They move actively from place to place. They turn pinkish before pupating, going down to the earth to make a fairly close-fitting dense cocoon of silk incorporating particles of earth and leaf litter near the surface. The pupa is attached lightly by the cremaster inside.