''Spodoptera picta'', the lily caterpillar, is a moth of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

. It was described by Félix Édouard Guérin-Méneville in 1838. It is found in from India, South-east Asia and Japan through Indonesia and the western part of South Pacific ocean to Fiji.

Description

The wingspan is about 40 mm. It is generally an ochreous-white moth. The head and thorax are suffused with pinkish red. The forewings have some red on their costal base. There are numerous ill-defined waved black lines present between the base and antemedial line. Orbicular and claviform consisting black rings. A medial pinkish red band, wide at costa narrowing to inner margin. The reniform with ochreous and black outlines and red center. The postmedial double waved lines are filled in with ochreous and highly excurved beyond the cell. Some black dashes can be seen on reddish patches beyond it. Hindwings semi-

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none. Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is ...

white. Caterpillars have smooth skin and are pale grey with a series of longitudinal black lines. Mesothorax also has dark patches with last abdominal segment. With development, central dorsal line become yellowish.

Ecology

The larvae feed on '' Crinum asiaticum'', ''

Crinum pedunculatum ''Crinum pedunculatum'' also known as the swamp lily, river lily or mangrove lily, is a bulbous perennial found in stream and tidal areas of the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales, Australia as well as New Guinea and some Pacifi ...

'', ''

Clivia miniata ''Clivia miniata'', the Natal lily or bush lily, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Clivia'' of the family Amaryllidaceae, native to woodland habitats in South Africa (Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces) as well as i ...

'', ''

Hymenocallis littoralis ''Hymenocallis littoralis'' or the beach spider lily is a plant species of the genus ''Hymenocallis'', native to warmer coastal regions of Latin America and widely cultivated and naturalized in many tropical countries. Description ''Hymenocalli ...

'', and '' Hippeastrum'' species. They bore into the leaves and down into the crown of the bulb. Eggs are laid on lily plants. The caterpillar pupates in leaf litter. Pupation takes place under ground in an earthen cocoon.

References

External links

''Calogramma picta'' image at ''Le Monde des insectes''

"Late Instar Caterpillar and Metamorphosis of ''Spodoptera picta'' Guérin-Méneville (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae: Noctuinae) With Notes On Its Cannibalistic Behaviour"
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October 3, 2016. Moths described in 1838 Caradrinini {{Caradrinini-stub