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Anomis involuta

Hibiscus Cutworm

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult and caterpillar	49KB
Image:	Adult - live	79KB
Image:	Adult with wings displayed	89KB
Image:	Adult - French Polynesia	59KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Hibiscus Cutworm, Jute Cutworm

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE India - SE Asia - French Polynesia; s. to Rapa

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - present; N.Group ?; Land

KEY FEATURES: Medium moth (16mmTL) reddish brown without significant markings.

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	+++

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Pests & Hosts

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Relationship	Hosts
Herbivorous pest on Malvaceae, incl.	Hibiscus tiliaceus,

Scientific Taxonomy

Anomis involuta (Walker, 1858)
SYNONYMS: Anomis sabulifera involuta

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Lepidoptera; NOCTUIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: Medium moth (16mmTL) reddish brown without significant markings. Fore wings dark reddish brown, lighter along front edge, 2 indistinct lines transversing wing; terminal margin extended into point ½ way along. Hind wings greyish brown, lighter at base, without distinguishing character. Underside greyish brown. Head and Thorax reddish brown. Abdomen pale greyish brown. Legs and Antennae brown. CATERPILLAR to 4cmTL, green with scattered white spots with black centres; narrow yellow bands between segments.

GENERAL NOTE: Caterpillar (4cmTL) joined two leaves with threads and pupated. Pupa (2cmTL, dark brown) and took 12 days to hatch adult (2cmBL)[Rarotonga specimen 5/2005. GMcC]. Caterpillars of all Anomis species are on Malvaceae (Hibiscus, Abelmoschus, etc.).

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: BESO99, specimen #492 - no photo, ID J.Dugdale as Anomis involuta 4/2000; specimen+photo, near Needle to light, 2004, G.McCormack with Eric Edwards, with ID as Anomis involuta; fieldspecimen+photo, caterillar and adult, Tupapa on Tree Hibiscus, 5/2005, G.McCormack with ID as Anomis involuta. Mangaia: fieldspecimen+photo (caterpillar and adult), 2006/5, caterpillar on Hibiscus tiliaceus formed pupa 28 May and adult 8 June (11 days), G.McCormack with ID of adult as Anomis involuta.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM05a, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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