''Nola analis'' 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
Nolidae
Nolidae is a family of moths with about 1,700 described species worldwide. They are mostly small with dull coloration, the main distinguishing feature being a silk cocoon with a vertical exit slit. The group is sometimes known as tuft moths, aft ...
first described by Wileman and West in 1928. 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 ...
,
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
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
.
Description
The moth belongs to a complex group called ''internella'' group taxonomically, until Hampson made ''pascua'' and ''quadrimaculata'' as synonyms of ''internella''. In 1928 Wileman and West identified that ''analis'' is a separate species different ''pascua''. However, all three species very closely resemble each other externally. Observation of the genitals is necessary to differentiate ''Nola analis'' from ''N. quadrimaculata''.
The male has yellowish hindwings, brownish
hair-pencil
Hair-pencils and coremata are pheromone signaling structures present in lepidopteran males. Males use hair-pencils in courtship behaviors with females. The pheromones they excrete serve as both aphrodisiacs and tranquilizers to females as well as ...
s and patches are associated with dorsum. A hair-pencil is enfolded in the dorsum. In tornus, underside has brownish scales. An irregular tri-arcuate submarginal present which defined sharply the darker distal area from paler basal area. Dark brownish raised scales are present on costa medially and
antemedially. The caterpillar has a light yellowish body with a purplish band that runs laterally. Head glossy pale orange. However, some yellow and black variants can be observed with orange verrucae and green ventrum. Others are brownish black with yellowish-white marbling, and purple, orange and white verrucae. Lateral verrucae yellowish. Dorsal verrucae orange to white and black. A trapezium-shaped purple dorsal patch is found at A8. Secondary setae are present and are light grayish to translucent.
Ecology
The caterpillars are restless and feed on flowers. Early
instar
An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'' 'form, likeness') is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, which occurs between each moult (''ecdysis'') until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to ...
s are highly hairy, causing them to be easily blown away by the wind.
[ Pupation occurs in a triangular cocoon. Pupa lack a cremaster and have blunt ends. Larval food plants are '' Memecylon'', '']Terminalia
Terminalia may refer to:
* Terminalia (festival)
Terminalia () was an ancient Roman festival in honour of the god Terminus, who presided over boundaries. His statue was merely a stone or post stuck in the ground to distinguish between propert ...
'' and ''Lantana camara
''Lantana camara'' (common lantana) is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family (Verbenaceae), native to the American tropics. It is a very adaptable species, which can inhabit a wide variety of ecosystems; once it has been introduced i ...
''. Plants in the following genera are hosts for ''N. analis'', ''N. internella'' and ''N. quadrimaculata'': ''Mangifera
''Mangifera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae. It contains 64 species, with the best-known being the common mango ('' Mangifera indica''). The center of diversity of the genus is in the Malesian ecoregion of S ...
'', ''Durio
''Durio'' is a genus of plants in the family Malvaceae. Several species produce an edible fruit known as durian, the most common species being ''Durio zibethinus'', with eight others producing edible fruit.
Taxonomy
Early works describe ''Dur ...
'', ''Ricinus
''Ricinus communis'', the castor bean or castor oil plant, is a species of perennial flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is the sole species in the monotypic genus, ''Ricinus'', and subtribe, Ricininae. The evolution of c ...
'', ''Pennisetum
''Cenchrus'' is a widespread genus of plants in the grass family, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. Its species are native to many countries in Asia, Africa, Australia, the Americas, and various oceanic islands.
Comm ...
'' (seeds), ''Sorghum
''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...
'', ''Acacia
''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...
'', ''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.
The natural range ...
'' (seeds), ''Nephelium
''Nephelium'' is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae, native to southeastern Asia.
They are evergreen trees with pinnately compound leaf, leaves, and edible drupe, drupaceous fruit; one species, ''N. lappace ...
''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q23057257
Moths of Asia
Moths described in 1928
analis