Family Noctuidae Rank Species | Order Butterflies and moths | |
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Similar Rhesala, Polydesma umbricola, Butterflies and moths, Achaea catella, Pterophorus wahlbergi | ||
Rhesala moestalis is a species of moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found throughout subtropical Africa, from Sierra Leone in the west to Somalia in the east and South Africa in the south. It is also found on most of the African Indian Ocean islands. and in South and South-East Asia.
They have a wingspan of 14-20mm.
The larvae feed on Fabaceae species, such as Acacia mellifera, Acacia tortilis and Albizia lebbeck. In India they have been recorded as a pest of nursery and young shade trees in tea plantations with a preference for Albizia odoratissima, Albizia procera as well as Albizia lebbeck.
Original Description
G.F. Hampson described them in The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma in 1894 as follows:
References
Rhesala moestalis Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA