''Amata passalis'', the sandalwood defoliator, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the 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 ...

first described by

Johan Christian Fabricius Johann Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is co ...

in 1781. It is found in

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, ...

and

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 ...

Biology

The average life cycle of the species in captivity is 62 days. After mating, the adult female lays about 305 eggs in a lifespan of 3.87 days. It is known to breed all year around and passes through 6-11 generations a year. There are eight larval instars. First and last instar larvae are about 1.97 mm and 29.29 mm in length, respectively. Adults usually emerge within 1 to 2 hours of sunrise. After a day, they are ready for mating. It is known mainly as a defoliator of sandalwood (''

Santalum album ''Santalum album'' is a small tropical tree, and the traditional source of sandalwood oil. It is native to Indonesia (Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands), the Philippines, and Western Australia. It is commonly known as the true sandalwood, white ...

'') in India. It is also recorded on various alternate food plants, mainly cowpeas, various other pulses, and ornamental plants. The larval stage of '' Apanteles nepitae'' can be used as a parasite to control the moth.

Host plants

* ''

Phaseolus vulgaris ''Phaseolus vulgaris'', the common bean,, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its botanical classification, alo ...

'' * ''

Trichosanthes anguina ''Trichosanthes cucumerina'' is a tropical or subtropical vine. Its variety ''T. cucumerina'' var. ''anguina'' raised for its strikingly long fruit. In Asia, it is eaten immature as a vegetable much like the summer squash and in Africa, the red ...

'' * ''

Vigna unguiculata The cowpea (''Vigna unguiculata'') is an Annual plant, annual Herbaceous plant, herbaceous legume from the genus ''Vigna''. Its tolerance for sandy soil and low rainfall have made it an important crop in the Semi-arid climate, semiarid regions a ...

'' * ''

Capsicum annuum ''Capsicum annuum'' is a fruiting plant from the family Solanaceae (nightshades), within the genus Capsicum which is native to the northern regions of South America and to southwestern North America. The plant produces Berry, berries of many color ...

'' * '' Brassica caulorapa'' * ''

'' * ''

Gallery

வேலைக்காரி அந்துப்பூச்சியின் முட்டைகள் - Eggs of Sandalwood defoliator - Amata passalis.jpg, eggs முட்டையிடும் வேலைக்காரி அந்துப்பூச்சி - Sandalwood defoliator Egg laying - Amata passalis.jpg, female with eggs Mating moths (Amata passalis) spotted at Vizag.jpg, mating pair Amata sp. photographed from Bakamuna, Sri Lanka.jpg, adult in Sri Lanka Amata passalis-wasp moth.jpg, adult in India

References

Moths described in 1781 passalis Moths of Asia Moths of Sri Lanka {{amata-stub