Kingdom Animalia Subphylum Hexapoda Order Lepidoptera | Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Family Crambidae | |
The Ombava (Achyra massalis) is a moth of the Crambidae family. It is found in most of the Old World tropics, including La RĂ©union, Namibia and Australia (including New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia).
The wingspan is about 20 mm. Adults have light to dark brown forewings with a submarginal dark band and a dark spot near the centre.
The larvae are considered agricultural pests and have been recorded feeding on Pennisetum glaucum. They are off-white, greenish or reddish and have three dark red lines along the body. They only feed at night. By day they rest in a web in the soil near the host plant.
Taxonomy
It is sometimes listed as a synonym of Achyra coelatalis.
References
Achyra massalis Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA