''Aloa lactinea'', the red costate tiger moth, is a moth of family

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family (biology), 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 underwin ...

. The species was first described by

Pieter Cramer Pieter Cramer (21 May 1721 (baptized) – 28 September 1776) was a wealthy Netherlands, Dutch merchant in linen and Spanish wool, remembered as an entomologist. Cramer was the director of the Zealand Society, a scientific society located in Flushin ...

in 1777. It is found in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, southern and western

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Description

Its wingspan is about 40 mm long. The abdomen is yellow. Antennae black with a scarlet basal joint. Palpi scarlet at sides, white below, the terminal joint black. Head white with a crimson line behind it. Thorax white. Wings primarily white. Forewings with a scarlet fascia along the costa. Red markings are with a deep crimson tone. The band on the head is broader. A black speck at each angle of cell present, but some absent. Hindwings with a black spot at end of cell and a sub-marginal series of four, the two towards anal angle sometimes absent. Larva black with lateral tufts of reddish-brown hair. A sub-dorsal series of scarlet spots present. Dorsal, sub-dorsal, and lateral series of black spots also present. Somites 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th with sub-lateral spots. Two spots only on the 11th somite.

Ecology

The species is found in primary and secondary habitats ranging from the lowlands to montane regions. It is a minor pest. The caterpillar feeds on castor, coffee, jute, groundnut, teak, ragi, sunflower, maize,

finger millet Finger millet (''Eleusine coracana'') is an Annual plant, annual herbaceous plant widely grown as a cereal crop in the arid and Semi-arid climate, semiarid areas in Africa and Asia. It is a tetraploid and Self-pollination, self-pollinating speci ...

, sweet potato, and beans.

References

Spilosomina Erebid moths of Asia Moths of Indonesia Moths of Japan Moths of the Philippines Moths of Sri Lanka Moths of Taiwan insect pests of millets Moths described in 1777 Taxa named by Pieter Cramer {{Spilosomina-stub