Spodoptera picta
| Lily caterpillar | |
|---|---|
| Adult moth | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Spodoptera |
| Species: | S. picta
|
| Binomial name | |
| Spodoptera picta (Guérin-Méneville, 1838)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Spodoptera picta, the lily caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was described by Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville in 1838. It is found from India, South-east Asia and Japan through Indonesia, Australia and the western part of South Pacific ocean to Fiji.[1][2] Its caterpillars feeds on the leaves of plants in the Amaryllidaceae and Liliaceae families, and can be a significant pest in gardens.[3][4]
Description
The wingspan is about 40 mm. It is generally an ochreous-white moth, the head and thorax suffused with pinkish red. The forewings have some red on their costal base; there are numerous ill-defined waved black lines present between the base and antemedial line: the orbicular and claviform consisting of black rings; a medial pinkish red band, wide at costa narrowing to inner margin; the reniform with ochreous and black outlines and red centre; the postmedial double waved lines are filled in with ochreous and highly excurved beyond the cell; some black dashes can be seen on reddish patches beyond it. The hindwings are semi-hyaline white.[5]
Caterpillars have smooth skin and are pale grey with a series of longitudinal black lines. Mesothorax also has dark patches with last abdominal segment. With development, central dorsal line become yellowish.[6]
Ecology
Eggs are laid on the leaves of host plants. The caterpillars bore into the leaves and down into the crown of the bulb.[7] The caterpillar pupates in leaf litter.[8] Pupation takes place under ground in an earthen cocoon.[9]
References
- ^ "Lily Caterpillar Moth (Spodoptera picta)". iNaturalist.
- ^ "Spodoptera picta (Guérin-Méneville, 1830)". GBIF.
- ^ Tara Cassidy, Julie Clift, and Alyssa Martin, Native caterpillar decimates east coast gardens as hot, humid weather sets in, retrieved 25 March 2025
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Savela, Markku. "Spodoptera picta (Guérin-Méneville, [1838])". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Hampson, G. F. (1894). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume II. Taylor and Francis. p. 249 (as Calogramma festiva). Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (24 April 2017). "Spodoptera picta (Guerin-Meneville, [1831])". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Lily Caterpillar Moth - Spodoptera picta". Brisbane Insects. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ^ "Lily Caterpillar Facts". Australian Wildlife. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
- ^ Holloway, Jeremy Daniel. "Spodoptera picta Guerin-Meneville". The Moths of Borneo. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
External links
- Calogramma picta image at Le Monde des insectes
- "Late Instar Caterpillar and Metamorphosis of Spodoptera picta Guérin-Méneville (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae) With Notes On Its Cannibalistic Behaviour". Archived from the original October 3, 2016.