''Calliteara horsfieldii'', or Horsfield's tussock moth, is a
moth of the family
Erebidae
The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings ('' Catocala'') ...
. The species was first described by the
British entomologist
Edward Saunders Edward Saunders may refer to:
*Edward W. Saunders (1860–1921), Virginian politician
*Edward Saunders (judge) (died 1576), British judge
*Edward Saunders (entomologist) (1848–1910), British entomologist
*Edward Saunders (MP) for Coventry (UK Par ...
in 1851, and named in honor of the British naturalist
Thomas Horsfield, who traveled southern Asia and published works on zoology from the region. ''C. horsfieldii'' can be found in southern Asia, the islands of the northern Indian Ocean, and many parts of south east Asia and Indonesia. It is also sometimes referred to as the Yellow Tussock Moth.
Distribution
''Calliteara horsfieldii'' is found the tropical portion of southern and southeast Asian including
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
,
Thailand,
Singapore,
Malaysia,
Sundaland
Sundaland (also called Sundaica or the Sundaic region) is a biogeographical region of South-eastern Asia corresponding to a larger landmass that was exposed throughout the last 2.6 million years during periods when sea levels were lower. It ...
,
Sulawesi
Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...
and towards
New Guinea and
Brunei.
Description
The males of ''Calliteara horsfieldii'' show two colour forms. The first has uniform greyish forewings, while the second form has darker greyish colors towards the antemedial side of the forewings. The antemedial side of the forewings is strongly curved. Females of this species have whitish forewings with faint markings. The hindwings of both sexes are similar to one another and have yellowish tinge. The caterpillar is yellowish with rows of dorsal brushes.
As caterpillar, ''Calliteara horsfieldii'' is known to feed on many plants such as ''
Etlingera elatior'', ''
Anacardium occidentale'' (the Cashew tree), ''
Mangifera'', ''
Casuarina'', ''
Begonia'', ''
Bixa orellana'', ''
Brassica'', ''
Albizia falcataria'', ''
Dipterocarpus'', ''
Hopea'', ''
Camellia sinensis
''Camellia sinensis'' is a species of evergreen shrub or small tree in the flowering plant family Theaceae. Its leaves and leaf buds are used to produce the popular beverage, tea. Common names include tea plant, tea shrub, and tea tree (not to ...
'' (the tea plant), ''
Shorea'', ''
Acacia richii'', ''
Acacia mangium'', ''
Cassia fistula'', ''
Casuarina equisetifolia
''Casuarina equisetifolia'', common names ''Coastal She-oak'' or ''Horsetail She-oak'' (sometimes referred to as the Australian pine tree or whistling pine tree outside Australia), is a she-oak species of the genus ''Casuarina''. The native ...
'', ''
Cinnamomum zeylanicum'' (the Cinnamon tree), ''
Cocos nucifera'' (the Coconut palm), ''
Erythrina
''Erythrina'' is a genus of plants in the pea family, Fabaceae. It contains about 130 species, which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. They are trees, with the larger species growing up to in height. The generic na ...
'', ''
Pterocarpus'', ''
Tamarindus
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae.
...
'' (the Tamarind), ''
Lagerstroemia'' (the Crape myrtle), ''
Ficus'', ''
Eucalyptus'', ''
Eugenia'', ''
Psidium'', ''
Syzygium'', ''
Pinus'' (the Pine) and ''
Rosa'' (the Rose) species.
References
External links
Yellow Tussock Moth (''Calliteara horsfieldii'')Torch ginger and Tussock Moth ''Calliteara horsfieldii''Final instar caterpillar and metamorphosis of ''Calliteara horsfieldii'' (Saunders) in Singapore (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae: Orgyiini)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13449885
Moths of Asia
Moths described in 1851