Ombava (previously known as Scopula massalis) PYRAUSTINAE, CRAMBIDAE, PYRALOIDEA | (donherbisonevans@yahoo.com) and Stella Crossley |
(Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson,
Kuranda, Queensland)
These caterpillars can be agricultural pests, attacking grain such as:
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.
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.
The species is found in Australia in
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.
caterpillar | butterflies | Lepidoptera | moths | caterpillar |
(updated 19 March 2012, 10 November 2019, 17 December 2020)