Achyra massalis (Walker, 1859)
Ombava
 (previously known as Scopula massalis)
PYRAUSTINAE,   CRAMBIDAE,   PYRALOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley


(Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, Kuranda, Queensland)

These caterpillars can be agricultural pests, attacking grain such as:

  • Pearl Millet ( Pennisetum glaucum, POACEAE ).

    The caterpillars are off-white, either greenish or reddish, and have three dark red lines along the body. By day they rest in a web in the soil by a foodplant, emerging to feed on the plant at night.


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

    The adult moth has light to dark brown forewings, each with a dark submarginal band, and dark marginal fringes. Each forewing also has an elongated dark spot near the middle. The moth has a wingspan up to 2 cms.


    (Photo: courtesy of CSIRO/BIO Photography Group, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

    The species is found in Australia in

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

    Further reading :

    Francis Walker,
    Pyralides,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 18 (1859), p. 792, No. 43.

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    (updated 19 March 2012, 10 November 2019, 17 December 2020)