Nola taeniata Snellen, 1875
Hairy Rice Caterpillar
 (also known as ; Celama taeniata)
NOLINAE,   NOLIDAE,   NOCTUOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Nola taeniata
(Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

These caterpillars have been found feeding on

  • Rice ( Oryza sativa, POACEAE ),
  • Fringe Rush ( Fimbristylis species, CYPERACEAE ), and
  • Jujube ( Ziziphus species, RHAMNACEAE ).

    Nola taeniata
    (Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

    The adult moth of this species has speckled brown forewings each with an indistinct wavy dark brown band across the middle. There are several areas of raised scales on the forewings. The hindwings are white. The moth has a wingspan of about 1 cm.

    Nola taeniata
    underside
    (Photo: courtesy of Graeme Cocks, Townsville, Queensland)

    The species has been found across south-east Asia, including

  • Borneo,
  • Burma,
  • Hong Kong,
  • Japan,
  • Russia,

    and also in Australia in

  • Western Australia,
  • Northern Territory,
  • Queensland,
  • New South Wales,
  • Victoria, and
  • South Australia.

    Nola taeniata
    drawing by Pieter Cornelius Tobias Snellen    ,
    Vier nieuwe soorten van het genus Nola Leach,
    Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, Volume 18 (1875), Plate 6, fig. 1,
    image courtesy of Biodiversity Heritage Library, digitized by Smithsonian Libraries.

    Further reading :

    Pieter Cornelius Tobias Snellen,
    Vier nieuwe soorten van het genus Nola Leach,
    Tijdschrift voor Entomologie,
    Volume 18 (1875), pp. 63, 65, and also Plate 6, fig. 1.

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    (written 18 November 2012, updated 4 September 2025)