''Stauropus alternus'', the lobster caterpillar, lobster moth or crab caterpillar, 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 ...
of the family
Notodontidae
Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, espe ...
. It is found in the
north-eastern
Himalaya
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
,
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 the southern
Moluccas. It was described by
Francis Walker in 1855.
Taxonomy
The species was separated in the genus ''Neostauropus'' by Sergius G. Kiriakoff but there are few differences and most authors treat it as a single genus ''Stauropus''.
Description
In males, the head and thorax are brownish grey. Abdomen is greyish brown with the dorsal tufts on first six segments darker. Forewings are brownish grey with indistinct antemedial and postmedial pale waved lines. The submarginal series have rusty red spots with pale lunules inside them. Hindwings are whitish with the costal and inner areas are brownish. Both wings with a marginal series of pale and reddish-brown lunules. Ventral side is brown. The female is similar to the male but with uniformly brown hindwings. Larva dark reddish brown. A pale dorsal line can be seen. There are grey subdorsal streaks on the fourth and sixth somites. The terminal somite is swollen and carried over the back with two angular processes from the proximity. Anal prolegs are absent. Second and third leg pairs are long.
Ecology
The caterpillars feed on ''
Ricinus'', ''
Careya
''Careya'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lecythidaceae. It is native to the Indian Subcontinent, Afghanistan, Indochina, and Peninsular Malaysia.
Taxonomy
It was first described as a genus by William Roxburgh in volume 3 part 1 of ...
'', ''
Cajanus
The genus ''Cajanus'' is a member of the plant family Fabaceae. There are 37 species, mainly distributed across Africa, Asia and Australasia.
Species include the pigeon pea (''C. cajan''), which is a significant food crop.
''Cajanus'' specie ...
'', ''
Cassia'', ''
Ougeinia'', ''
Pithecellobium
''Pithecellobium'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The generic name is derived from the Greek words πίθηκος (''pithêkos''), meaning "ape" or "monkey," and ἐλλόβιον (''ellobion''), meaning "earring," which r ...
'' and ''
Wagatea
''Moullava'' is a genus of flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel' ...
'' species. They are considered a pest on pulses, tea, coffee, rambutan and mango. The caterpillars have long legs and rear up when threatened and are sometimes called crab or lobster caterpillars.
Subspecies
*''S. alternus alternus''
*''S. alternus brunneus'' (Sumatra)
*''S. alternus niasicus'' (Nias)
*''S. alternus nephodes'' (Philippines)
*''S. alternus melastomatis'' (Amboina)
References
External links
"Last instar caterpillar and metamorphosis of ''Neostauropus alternus''" Archived from th
original3 October 2016.
{{Taxonbar , from=Q10821405
Notodontidae
Moths of Japan