Tatobotys biannulalis (Walker, 1866)
 (one synonym: Cometura picrogramma Meyrick, 1886)

SPILOMELINAE,   CRAMBIDAE,   PYRALOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

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

The caterpillars of this species have been found in the bases of tussocks of Rice.

The caterpillars pupate in cocoons covered in frass in the same locations.

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

The adult moth of this species is pale brown, with various dark markings including two or three dark spots on each forewing. The moth has a wingspan of about 2 cms.

The species occurs in:

  • Fiji,
  • Indonesia,
  • Japan,
  • Samoa,

    as well as in Australia in

  • Western Australia,
  • Northern Territory, and
  • Queensland.

    Further reading :

    Peter Hendry,
    The Return of the Crambidae,
    Butterflies and Other Invertebrates Club,
    Metamorphosis Australia,
    Issue 54 (September 2009), pp. 23-25.

    Buck Richardson,
    Tropical Queensland Wildlife from Dusk to Dawn Science and Art,
    LeapFrogOz, Kuranda, 2015, p. 50.

    Francis Walker,
    Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera,
    List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum,
    Part 34, Supplement 4 (1866), p. 1439.

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    (updated 3 December 2011, 15 July 2024)