Calliteara horsfieldii

Calliteara horsfieldii, or Horsfield's tussock moth,[1] is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by the British entomologist Edward Saunders in 1851, and named in honor of the British naturalist Thomas Horsfield, who traveled southern Asia and published works on zoology from the region.[2] C. horsfieldii can be found in southern Asia, the islands of the northern Indian Ocean, and many parts of south east Asia and Indonesia. It is also sometimes referred to as the Yellow Tussock Moth.

Horsfield's tussock moth
Adult male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Genus: Calliteara
Species:
C. horsfieldii
Binomial name
Calliteara horsfieldii
(Saunders, 1851)
Synonyms
  • Arctia horsfieldii Saunders, 1851
  • Dasychira arga Moore, [1860] 1858-9
  • Dasychira longipennis Walker, 1862
  • Lymantria inhonorata Hopffer, 1874
  • Dasychira horsfieldi queenslandica Strand, 1915
  • Dasychira horsfieldii Saunders; Holloway, 1976
  • Orgyia horsfieldii Swinhoe, 1923
  • Dasychira horsfieldii Collenette, 1932
  • Dura inhonorata Swinhoe, 1923

Distribution

Calliteara horsfieldii is found the tropical portion of southern and southeast Asian including Sri Lanka,[3] Thailand,[4] Singapore,[5] Malaysia, Sundaland, Sulawesi and towards New Guinea[6] and Brunei.[7]

Description

The males of Calliteara horsfieldii show two colour forms. The first has uniform greyish forewings, while the second form has darker greyish colors towards the antemedial side of the forewings. The antemedial side of the forewings is strongly curved. Females of this species have whitish forewings with faint markings. The hindwings of both sexes are similar to one another and have yellowish tinge. The caterpillar is yellowish with rows of dorsal brushes.[8]

As caterpillar, Calliteara horsfieldii is known to feed on many plants such as Etlingera elatior, Anacardium occidentale (the Cashew tree), Mangifera, Casuarina, Begonia, Bixa orellana, Brassica, Albizia falcataria, Dipterocarpus, Hopea, Camellia sinensis (the tea plant), Shorea, Acacia richii, Acacia mangium, Cassia fistula, Casuarina equisetifolia, Cinnamomum zeylanicum (the Cinnamon tree), Cocos nucifera (the Coconut palm), Erythrina, Pterocarpus, Tamarindus (the Tamarind), Lagerstroemia (the Crape myrtle), Ficus, Eucalyptus, Eugenia, Psidium, Syzygium, Pinus (the Pine) and Rosa (the Rose) species.[9]

  • Caterpillar
    Caterpillar
  • Morph of male
    Morph of male

References
  1. "Horsfield's Tussock Moth". I Naturalist. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  2. "Species Details: Calliteara horsfieldii Saunders, 1851". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  3. Koçak, Ahmet Ömer; Kemal, Muhabbet (20 February 2012). "Preliminary list of the Lepidoptera of Sri Lanka". Cesa News. Centre for Entomological Studies Ankara (79): 1–57. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  4. "Calliteara horsfieldii (Saunders) pest". ippc.acfs.go.th. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  5. "Calliteara horsfieldii (Saunders, 1851) Horsfield's tussock moth". Singapore's Biodiversity. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  6. "Calliteara horsfieldii Saunders". Digital Moths of Japan. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  7. "Distribution of Calliteara horsfieldii". CABI. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  8. "Calliteara horsfieldii Saunders". The Moths of Borneo. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  9. "HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants". The Natural History Museum. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
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