Tirathaba rufivena
Encyclopedia
The Coconut Spike Moth, Greater Coconut Spike Moth or Oil Palm Bunch Moth (Tirathaba rufivena) is a moth
of the Pyralidae
family. It is found from south-east Asia
to the pacific islands, including Malaysia, the Cook Islands
, the Philippines
and the tropical region of Queensland
.
Adults have dull green or brown forewings with thin red stripes running from the margin to the base. The hindwings are plain pale yellow.
The larvae feed on Cocos nucifera and Nypa fruticans
. They are considered a pest.
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 Pyralidae
Pyralidae
The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families 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 pacific islands, including Malaysia, the Cook Islands
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands is a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and the tropical region of 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...
.
Adults have dull green or brown forewings with thin red stripes running from the margin to the base. The hindwings are plain pale yellow.
The larvae feed on Cocos nucifera and Nypa fruticans
Nypa fruticans
Nypa fruticans, known as the attap palm , nipa palm , and mangrove palm or buah atap , buah nipah , dừa nước , Ging Pol in Sinhala in Sri Lanka and gol pata , dani . It is the only palm considered a mangrove in the Mangroves Biome...
. They are considered a pest.