Orgyia postica

Orgyia postica, the cocoa tussock moth or hevea tussock moth, is a species of moth of the subfamily Lymantriinae of the family Erebidae found in the Oriental tropics of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, and Taiwan. It was described by Francis Walker in 1855.[1]

Orgyia postica
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Genus: Orgyia
Species:
O. postica
Binomial name
Orgyia postica
(Walker, 1855)
Synonyms
  • Lacida postica Walker, 1855
  • Orgyia ceylanica Neitner, 1862
  • Orgyia nebulosa Walker, 1862
  • Notolophus nebulosa
  • Orgyia ludekingii Snellen, 1879
  • Orgyia ocularis Moore, 1879
  • Notolophus ocularis

Description

The wingspan is 20–30 mm for males.[2] In the male, the head, thorax, and abdomen are brownish. Forewings are brown with an indistinct oblique sub-basal line. Waved antemedial and postmedial lines approach each other at the lower angle of the cell. The area between them is slightly tinged with bluish grey and has a waved dark line edged with white on each side of the discocellulars. Two indistinct, waved submarginal lines are present. The apex is slightly tinged with grey and has some subapical dark streaks. Hindwings are dark brown. The female is wingless.[3]

Larvae are yellowish and clothed sparsely with brown hair. One dorsal and two lateral brown bands are seen. Paired tufts of hair are on the first and eleventh somites, projecting forward and backward. Lateral tufts of grey hair project from the fourth and fifth somites. Dorsal tufts of yellow hair are on the fourth to seventh somites. The head is red. The pupa is stout; in males, it is glossy black, with numerous short, small tufts of hair. Eggs are pillbox-shaped and pale whitish brown, with a darker ring encircling a depressed top.[4]

Ecology

Adult males are on the wing year-round. The name Orgyia is because the larvae have been recorded on a wide range of species, including Buchanania, Mangifera,[5] Durio, Ochroma, Casuarina, Terminalia, Shorea, Hevea, Ricinus, Pelargonium, Cinnamomum, Acacia, Albizia, Caesalpinia, Cajanus, Cassia, Dalbergia, Erythrina, Pithecellobium, Pterocarpus, Sesbania, Xylia, Lagerstroemia, Eucalyptus, Tristania, Zizyphus, Malus, Coffea, Citrus, Santalum, Dimocarpus, Litchi, Nephelium, Theobroma, Camellia, Grewia, and Tectona.[6] The head, legs, and prolegs are pale red. The body is longitudinally banded in dark brown and pale yellow. The four dorsal brushes are pale yellow.[7]

The parasitoid wasps of Telenomus are known to attack the eggs of this moth.[8]

References
  1. Savela, Markku. "Orgyia postica (Walker, 1855)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  2. Oriental Butterflies and Moths
  3. Hampson, G. F. (1892). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume I. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. "Cocoa tussock moth (Orgyia postica)". Plantwise Technical Factsheet. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  5. "Outbreak of Orgyia postica Walker (Lymantriidae: Lepidoptera), a new pest on mango in Uttar Pradesh". CABI. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  6. Oriental Butterflies and Moths
  7. The Moths of Borneo
  8. "Integrated control of cocoa tussock moth (Orgyia postica Wlk.) in North Sumatra (Indonesia). [1986]". AGRIS: International Information System for the Agricultural Science and Technology. Retrieved 20 July 2016.


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