General Information

COMMON NAMES: Tomato Semi-looper GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: RANGE w.Africa - India - se.Asia - Indonesia/Australia - Cooks - ? COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Recent (post-1975); Land, lowlands & mountains (mid-elev.) KEY FEATURES: Medium moth (14mmTL) brown with crest on Thorax and burnished gold markings on wing. SIMILAR SPECIES: See under Silver-Y Moth (Chrysodeixis eriosoma)

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

Chrysodeixis acuta (Walker, 1858)
SYNONYMS: Plusia acuta Walker, 1858; Phytometra acuta (Walker)

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

IDENTIFICATION: Medium moth (14mmTL) brown with crest on Thorax and burnished gold markings on wing. Smaller than Southern Silver-Y Moth, with similar markings. Fore wings with apex sharp (hence name) dark brown with weak iridescence; burnished silver dot and U mark set on dark band edged in buff, crossing middle. Hind wings dull blackish brown. Head, Thorax, Abdomen, Legs and Antennae brownish black.

GENERAL NOTE: The caterpillar feeds on a wide variety of herbs (weeds, vegetables, especially kumara, and ornamentals, especially Coleus). It is green with fine white stripes, and lacks prolegs on abdominal segments 3 & 4, making the caterpillar move like a looper or inchworm The caterpillar pupates in a white silk cocoon in a folded leaf.

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: BESO99, specimen #254 - no photo, ID J.Dugdale 4/2000.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

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