Terastia subjectalis Lederer, 1863
(one synonym : Megaphysa quadratalis Walker, 1866)
SPILOMELINAE,   CRAMBIDAE,   PYRALOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Terastia subjectalis
Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, from
Tropical Queensland Wildlife from Dusk to Dawn Science and Art

The Caterpillars of this species have been found boring into seed pods and stems of:

  • Tiger's Claw ( Erythrina indica, FABACEAE ).

    Terastia subjectalis
    (Photo: courtesy of Ian McMillan, Imbil, Queensland)

    The adult moth has pale brown forewings, each with vague dark transverse bands. The hindwings are pale brown with darker margins. The margins of all the wings have wavy edges. The abdomen has lateral flanges on the last few segments. In its resting posture, the moth curves it abdomen up in the air. The wingspan is about 4 cms.

    Terastia subjectalis
    (Photo: courtesy of Christian Wieser and the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

    The pheromones of this species have been determined.

    The species occurs across the Indian and south Pacific Oceans, including:

  • Fiji,
  • Hawaii,
  • Japan,
  • La Reunion,
  • Okinawa,
  • Sri Lanka,

    as well as in Australia in:

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


    Further reading :

    Ian F.B. Common,
    Moths of Australia,
    Melbourne University Press, 1990, pl. 9.41, p. 358.

    Julius Lederer,
    Wiener Entomologische Monatschrift,
    Volume 7, Part 11 (1863), p. 408, No. 106.

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

    Paul Zborowski and Ted Edwards,
    A Guide to Australian Moths,
    CSIRO Publishing, 2007, p. 135.


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    (updated 19 March 2012, 24 November 2014)