Autoba silicula

Autoba silicula (Swinhoe, 1897)
Earhead Worm
(previously known as Eublemma silicula)
ACONTIINAE, NOCTUIDAE, NOCTUOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Autoba silicula
(Photo: courtesy of Dominic Funnell, Yorkeys Knob, Queensland)

This Caterpillar is a minor pest on many crops, including

Sunflower ( Helianthus annuus, ASTERACEAE ),

Sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor, POACEAE ),

Cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum, MALVACEAE ),

Castor Oil Plants ( Ricinus communis, EUPHORBIACEAE ), and

Mango ( Mangifera indica, ANACARDIACEAE ).

The adult moth of this species has pale brown wings, the forewings each fading to white along the costa, along which are some dark markings, and there are more dark marks at the wingtips. Each wing sometimes has a rusty brown transverse line. The forewings have a wave-shaped margin. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

The species is found across Asia, including

India,

Singapore,

and also in Australia in

Western Australia,

Northern Territory, and

Queensland.

Further reading :

Charles Swinhoe,
New Eastern Heterocera,
The Annals and Magazine of Natural History,
Series 6, Volume 19 (1897), p. 167, No. 7.