''Tirathaba rufivena'', the coconut spike moth, greater coconut spike moth or oil palm bunch moth, 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 Pyralidae. It is found from south-east Asia to the Pacific islands, including

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

, 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 ...

and the tropical region of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. They are considered as a minor pest.

Description

Its wingspan is about . Adults have dull green or brown forewings with thin red stripes running from the margin to the base. More or less developed annuli at middle and end of the cell connected by a white streak, sometimes with a spot in base of cell also joined by the white streak. The inner margin, vein 1, the interno-median interspace and veins beyond lower angle of cell streaked with crimson. A dark marginal line. The hindwings are plain pale yellow or orange yellow.

Ecology and attack

The larvae is an agricultural pest that feeds on '' Cocos nucifera'', ''

Nypa fruticans ''Nypa fruticans'', commonly known as the nipa palm (or simply nipa, from ms, nipah) or mangrove palm, is a species of palm native to the coastlines and estuarine habitats of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the only palm considered adapte ...

'', '' Elaeis guineensis'', ''

Musa Musa may refer to: Places *Mūša, a river in Lithuania and Latvia * Musa, Azerbaijan, a village in Yardymli Rayon * Musa, Iran, a village in Ilam Province *Musa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran *Musa, Kerman, Iran * Musa, Bukan, West Azerbaijan ...

'' species, and ''

Phaseolus ''Phaseolus'' (bean, wild bean) is a genus of herbaceous to woody annual and perennial vines in the family Fabaceae containing about 70 plant species, all native to the Americas, primarily Mesoamerica. It is one of the most economically importan ...

'' species. Usually the caterpillar attacks male flowers where infestation causes abortion of young and results in underdeveloped fruits. A severe attack can wilt the plant and delay plant development. They are not borers, and only show external feeding.

Control

Biological control is the most effective method of controlling both larval and egg stages. Many different strains of parasites and pathogens are used. The pathogens such as ''

Beauveria bassiana ''Beauveria bassiana'' is a fungus that grows naturally in soils throughout the world and acts as a parasite on various arthropod species, causing white muscardine disease; it thus belongs to the entomopathogenic fungi. It is used as a biological ...

'', and '' Metarhizium anisopliae'' are also used in many regions. An

ichneumonid The Ichneumonidae, also known as the ichneumon wasps, Darwin wasps, or ichneumonids, are a family (biology), family of parasitoid wasps of the insect order Hymenoptera. They are one of the most diverse groups within the Hymenoptera with roughly 2 ...

Venturia palmaris Venturia may refer to: * Venturia (band), a progressive-metal band from Montpellier, France * Venturia (comics), an outpost of Atlantis in the DC Universe * Venturia (fungus), ''Venturia'' (fungus), a genus of fungi including ''Venturia inaequalis' ...

'' are experimented in

, where they attack larva in November and December. '' Agrophylax basifulva'', a tachinid fly, is a known parasitoid used in

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

which has not been successfully used elsewhere because of difficulties in rearing sufficient numbers. Another unsuccessful potential biocontrol is the entomoparasitic nematode ''

Steinernema feltiae Steinernema is a genus of nematodes in the family of Steinernematidae. The genus ''Steinernema'' is named after the nematologist Gotthold Steiner. Life cycle Species form symbiotic relationships with ''Xenorhabdus'' and ''Photorhabdus'' bact ...

''. Other than that, hand picking and other traditional methods are used in many countries.

References

External links

Biological control of ''Tirathaba rufivena'' in the PhilippinesBiological and ecological studies of the greater coconut spike moth (''Tirathaba rufivena'' Walker) and its natural enemies. from=Q7809150 Moths described in 1916 Tirathabini">989]
{{Taxonbar">from=Q7809150 Moths described in 1916 Tirathabini Pests of oil palm