''Earias biplaga'', the spiny bollworm, is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

in the family

Nolidae Nolidae is a family of moths with about 1,700 described species worldwide. They are mostly small with dull coloration, the main distinguishing feature being a silk cocoon with a vertical exit slit. The group is sometimes known as tuft moths, aft ...

. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found throughout subtropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

including Atlantic and Indian Ocean islands. Their length is about 10–12 mm, wingspan about 18–25 mm and it is characterised by a dark purplish-brown terminal fringe on the forewing."74.0121 [B&F: 2419] Spiny Bollworm (''Earias biplaga'') (Walker, 1866)"
''Hantsmoths''. Retrieved November 17, 2017. The larvae feed on species of Fabaceae and Malvaceae. It is considered as a pest to cotton and Theobroma cacao, cacao.

References

External links

Nolidae Moths described in 1866 Moths of Cape Verde Moths of the Comoros Moths of Africa Moths of Madagascar Moths of Mauritius Moths of Réunion Moths of Seychelles Moths of the Middle East {{Nolidae-stub