Asota caricae

Asota caricae (Fabricius, 1775)
(one synonym: Psephea alciphron Cramer, 1777)
AGANAIDAE, NOCTUOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
&
Stella Crossley

(updated 28 June 2007)

(Picture: courtesy of Roger Kendrick, Hong Kong)

The Caterpillars of this species start life as a pile of eggs laid on the leaf of a food plant. The female moth covers the pile of eggs with scales from her body.

Initially the Caterpillars are communal, and skeletonize the leaf. Later they separate and feed nocturnally. They feed on the leaves of a tropical Figs, for example :

Opposite-leaved Fig ( Ficus oppositifolia, MORACEAE ), and

Figwood ( Ficus racemosa, MORACEAE ),

and have reported as pests on

Paw paw ( Carica papaya, CARICACEAE ).

The Caterpillars are yellow with black and white stripes, and a rust coloured head and a black thorax.

They pupate within a curled leaf of the food plant.

The adults have yellow fore wings, each with a pale spot near the centre, and some black dots near the base.. The hind wings are a deeper yellow, and have a number of black spots. The body is yellow with a black mark on the top of each abdominal segment.

(Photo: courtesy of Chin Fah Shin)

They are found over much of south-east Asia, including:

Borneo,

Hong Kong,

Malaysia,

Phillipines, and

tropical north-eastern Australia.