Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Geometridae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Tribe Bistonini | |
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Similar Hyposidra talaca, Hyposidra, Biston, Biston panterinaria, Biston marginata | ||
The Tea looper, (Biston suppressaria), is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is found in China (Henan, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Hubei, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet), India, Burma, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Contents
Description
Wingspan of male is 60-70mm and female is 74-80mm. Proboscis more developed. Frons less hairy. hind tibia with the first pair of spurs medial. Wings with the outer margins non-crenulate. Antennae of male bipectinate with short stiff branches. Body grey with black irrorations. Head ochreous. Thorax and abdomen with yellow bars. Fore wings with waved yellow antemedial band. Both wings with irregularly sinuous indistinct yellow medial line curved outward beyond the cell of fore wings. There is an ill-defined postmedial maculate band angled at vein 5 of both wings, with some outer margin of fore wing. A marginal yellow spots series present.
Larva dark green with dark somital bands and slight sub-lateral line. Spiracles white ringed with red and red centers. Tubercle on first somite and legs purple. Female larva much pale green in color. Larva known to feed on Cassia auriculata, Acacia, Albizia, Camellia sinensis, Chrysanthemum indicum, Dalbergia latifolia, Eucalyptus, Litchi chinensis, Mangifera indica, Paulownia tomentosa, Phyllanthus emblica, Prunus domestica, Prunus salicina, Psidium guajava, and Vernicia fordii'.
Attack and prevention
Caterpillars of tea loopers are minor pests of many cultivated crops. Infected plants show symptoms similar to Ectropis bhurmitra. Leaves are bored and sometimes cut along the margins in a characteristic. Damage from late instars show heavy dieback and complete leaf senescence. Damage occurs mostly during the night and early mornings. They are rest on twigs and branches during the day time.
Adults are usually trapped by light and pheromone traps. Caterpillars and pupa can removed by hand picking. Many biological parasites and diseases readily controlled the damage from tea looper in India and Sri Lanka, but outbreaks can be seen with the pesticide usages. Parasitoid Apanteles are excellent example. In China, NPV extracts are used extensively, which is host specific. Bacillus thuringiensis and its strain B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki also used by farmer in Assam, India.
Chemical control is common in any regions with heavy attack. DDT, BHC (Lindane) or Parathion are some effective measures.