Kingdom Animalia Subphylum Hexapoda Order Lepidoptera Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Class Insecta Family Noctuidae | |
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Similar Oraesia, Oraesia excavata, Calyptra minuticornis, Polydesma umbricola, Polydesma | ||
Oraesia emarginata is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in Australia, New Caledonia, Indonesia, New Guinea, Pakistan, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea and Nepal as well as Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Gambia, Uganda, Oman and Yemen.
Contents
Description
The wingspan is about 35-42 mm. Antennae of male unipectinate. Palpi with the third joint produced to a point. Fore wings with outer margin angled at vein 4. Male has fiery orange head and collar. Thorax reddish brown. Abdomen fuscous. Fore wings reddish brown suffused with purple. Numerous indistinct slightly waved oblique lines present. A dark streak found on median nervure. An oblique double line runs from apex to inner margin beyond middle, filled in with pale near apex. The area beyond it suffused with gold color. Hind wings ochreous white, suffused with fuscous towards outer margin.
Female has much more variegated fore wings. A diffused chocolate patch found below middle of cell. A white streak can be seen on vein 2. Abdomen and hind wings fuscous. Larva dark violet brown in color with a sub-dorsal series of scarlet and yellow spots and sub-lateral white dot series. They pierce fruit (peach, loquat and citrus) to suck the juice.
The larvae feed on Menispermaceae species, including Stephania japonica as well as Cissampelos and Cocculus species. This species overwinters in the larval stage in clusters of weeds and soil cracks around the host plant. Some other food plants are Citrus, Dimocarpus, Ipomoea, Malus pumila, Merremia quinquefolia, Prunus persica, Psidium guajava, Sida, Stephania discolor, Vitis, and Ardenia gummifera.