''Metanastria hyrtaca'', called the hairy caterpillar as a larva, is a
moth of the family
Lasiocampidae first described by
Pieter Cramer in 1782. It is found in
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 ...
.
Biology
The adult has a grayish head and thorax and a whitish abdomen. Forewings are brownish with a characteristic reddish-brown spot ringed with white. Hindwings are whitish. Larva yellowish brown with black spots and long lateral tufts of hairs. A reddish band is found in the neck region.
The caterpillar is a serious pest of many economically important crops such as
cashew
The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus ''Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf cult ...
,
badam,
moringa Moringa may refer to:
* ''Moringa'' (genus), a genus of plants
* ''Moringa oleifera'', or just moringa, a plant species native to the Indian subcontinent
* ''Moringa stenopetala'', a species in that genus commonly known as the African moringa
Se ...
,
sapota,
jamun,
guava
Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...
,
Vachellia nilotica, ''
Shorea robusta'', ''
Schima wallichii'', ''
Nyctanthes arbor-tristis'', ''
Mimusops elengi'' and ''
Madhuca longifolia
''Madhuca longifolia'' is an Indian tropical tree found largely in the central, southern, north Indian plains and forests, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It is commonly known as madhūka, , mahuwa, Butter Tree, mahua, mahwa, , Iluppai or vippa che ...
.
References
Moths of Asia
Moths described in 1782
{{Lasiocampidae-stub