The caterpillars are pests in some parts of the worlde as they are inclined to defoliate these trees.

(Photo: courtesy of R.M.N.H. and the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

Adult moths have hyaline wings. The forewings have scattered dark markings and a broad dark margin. The hindwings are also transparent with broad dark margins. The body is also dark. The moths have a blueish or greenish metallic sheen. The metallic sheen fades to dark brown in dead specimens. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

The moth is found through Africa and Asia, including:

and the species also occurs in Australia in

(Specimen : courtesy of Dr. James Hogan, Oxford University Natural History Museum)

Further reading :

Francis Walker,
Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera. Pyralides,
List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
Part 17 (1859), p. 979.

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(written 18 March 2015, updated 1 April 2017, 9 February 2021)