Achaea janata (Linnaeus, 1758)
(one synonym : Phalaena melicarta)
Croton Caterpillar
 CATOCALINAE ,   NOCTUIDAE

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

Achaea janata
(Photo: courtesy of Carol Lockyer, Brisbane)

These caterpillars hatch from blue spherical eggs, each about half a millimetre across, laid singly on the food plant.

Achaea janata

The Caterpillars are initially brown with a black and white head, a red knob on the tail, and a black mark on the back of the second abdominal segment. The spiracles on each side of the abdominal segments are black. In the last instars, the brown turns to bluish-grey, and the point on tail turns black. The underside and legs become orange.

Achaea janata
(Photo: courtesy of Don Gardner, Murphy's Creek, Queensland)

The first pair of prolegs of the Caterpillars is degenerate, and so the Caterpillars move in a looper fashion.

The caterpillars are a pest on:

  • Noni ( Morinda citrifolia, RUBIACEAE ), and
  • Rambutan ( Nephelium lappaceum, SAPINDACEAE ).

    Specimens have also been found feeding on many other plants, including :

  • Grey Mangrove ( Avicennia marina, ACANTHACEAE ),
  • Orchid Trees ( Bauhinia species, CAESALPINIACEAE ),
  • Green Rose ( Aeonium canariense, CRASSULACEAE ),
  • Soybeans ( Glycine max, FABACEAE ),
  • Cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum, MALVACEAE ),
  • Wattles ( Acacia species, MIMOSACEAE ),
  • Gum Trees ( Eucalyptus species, MYRTACEAE ),
  • Three Corner Jack ( Emex species, POLYGONACEAE ),
  • Macadamia Nuts ( Macadamia integrifolia, PROTEACEAE ),
  • Roses ( Rosa odorata, ROSACEAE ),
  • Lychee ( Litchi chinensis, SAPINDACEAE ),
  • Puncture Vine ( Tribulus species, ZYGOPHYLLACEAE ),

    and is a pest at times on

  • Hoop Pine seedlings ( Araucaria cunninghamii, ARAUCARIACEAE ),
  • Tamarind ( Tamarindus indica, CAESALPINIACEAE ), and
  • Castor Oil Plants ( Ricinus communis, EUPHORBICEAE ).

    Achaea janata
    cocoon under a leaf
    (Photo: courtesy of John Moore, Karratha, Western Australia)

    The Caterpillars grow to a length of about 5 cms. They pupate in a white cocoon between leaves and stems of the foodplant.

    Achaea janata
    pupa
    (Photo: courtesy of Don Gardner, Murphy's Creek, Queensland)

    The adult moth has forewings that have a pattern of light and dark brown.

    Achaea janata
    (Photo: courtesy of Don Gardner, Murphy's Creek, Queensland)

    The hind wings are black with three white spots along the margin, and an inner unbroken white band. The moth has a wingspan of about 6 cms. The pheromones of the species have been studied. A number of control measures have been proposed.

    Achaea janata
    (Photo: courtesy of John Moore, Karratha, Western Australia)

    The adult moth is known to feed on fruit juice, and is suspected of piercing fruit to obtain it.

    Achaea janata
    (Specimen: courtesy of Dawn Bishop, Bundaberg, and
    the Macleay Museum, University of Sydney)

    The species occurs in :

  • Chile,
  • Hawaii,
  • India,
  • New Zealand,
  • Taiwan,
  • Thailand,
    as well as most of Australia including:
  • Northern Territory,
  • South Australia,
  • Queensland, and
  • Western Australia.

    Achaea janata
    Cocos Islands     1982

    Further reading :

    David Carter,
    Butterflies and Moths, Collins Eyewitness Handbooks, Sydney 1992, fig. 46.10, p. 259.

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia, Melbourne University Press, 1990, fig. 46.10, p. 453.

    Paul Zborowski and Ted Edwards,
    A Guide to Australian Moths, CSIRO Publishing, 2007, p. 195.

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    (updated 12 May 2010)