Kingdom Animalia Subphylum Hexapoda Order Lepidoptera | Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Family Noctuidae | |
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The Ramie Moth (Arcte coerula) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found from in south-east Asia, including Fiji, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Japan, New Guinea, Taiwan and Norfolk Island.
Description
Wingspan is about 84mm. Mid and hind tibia spiny. Hind wings of male with long hairy inner margin. Head black and thorax vinous reddish brown. Pectus white. Abdomen bluish fuscous with a white tuft in male below claspers. Fore wings with brown suffused with black, except costal area as far as postmedial line and the apical area, and irrorated with a few bluish-white scales. A short almost basal line, two black sub-basal patches, an oblique waved antemedial line present. A black spot in cell and two lunules at end of cell. Traces of a pale waved sub-marginal line can be seen. Hind wings are black with a bright blue patch on disk and a maculate post-medial band and patch near anal angle.
Larva black. Somites with transverse dorsal white bars each enclosing a black line. Stigmata ochreous, black ridges and with some red color around the,, situated on white patches from near the top of each of which springs a white hair. There is an inter-spiracular disconnected white line and a broader spiracular line with a black spot from which springs a white hair below each spiracle. A broad ventral white band present. The 11th somite humped and black above. Extremity orange above spotted with black. Head and somites are covered with long white hairs.
The larvae feed on Boehmeria nipononivea (ramie) and Boehmeria australis.