Tiracola plagiata
Encyclopedia
The Cacao Armyworm is a species of moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found from south-east Asia
to the south pacific islands, including the northern two-thirds of Australia
.
The wingspan
is about 60 mm. Adults are brown, with a light and dark pattern on the forewings.
It is an international fruit pest, particularly for Musa acuminata
. Larvae have also been recorded on various other plants, including Dioscorea
species, Diplocyclos palmatus
, Toona australis, Eucalyptus
, Portulaca oleracea, Phytolacca octandra and Physalis ixocarpa. They are smooth and black, with yellow patches on the sides of the abdomen near the front and the back.
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 south-east Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
to the south pacific islands, including the northern two-thirds of 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...
.
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. Adults are brown, with a light and dark pattern on the forewings.
It is an international fruit pest, particularly for Musa acuminata
Musa acuminata
Musa acuminata is a species of wild banana native to Southeast Asia. It is the progenitor of modern edible bananas, along with Musa balbisiana. First cultivated by humans around 8000 years ago, it is one of the earliest examples of domesticated plants.-Taxonomy and nomenclature:Musa acuminata...
. Larvae have also been recorded on various other plants, including Dioscorea
Dioscorea
Dioscorea is a genus of over 600 species of flowering plants in the family Dioscoreaceae, native throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. The vast majority of the species are tropical, with only a few species extending into temperate climates...
species, Diplocyclos palmatus
Diplocyclos palmatus
Diplocyclos palmatus is a vine native to rainforest and dry rainforest of Australia, Papua New Guinea and Malesia.- Sources :* http://keys.trin.org.au:8080/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Diplocyclos_palmatus.htm...
, Toona australis, Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
, Portulaca oleracea, Phytolacca octandra and Physalis ixocarpa. They are smooth and black, with yellow patches on the sides of the abdomen near the front and the back.