Hyposidra talaca

Hyposidra talaca, the black looper or black inch worm,[1] is a moth of the family Geometridae. The species was first described by Francis Walker in 1860. It is found from India to Indochina, Sundaland, Sulawesi, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, the Solomon Islands, Thailand,[2] Taiwan, New Guinea and Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland. It is a major defoliating pest in tea plantations.[3][4]

Black looper
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Geometridae
Genus:
Hyposidra
Species:
H. talaca
Binomial name
Hyposidra talaca
(Walker, 1860)
Synonyms
  • Lagyra talaca Walker, 1860
  • Lagyra bombycaria Walker, 1866
  • Chizala deceptatura Walker, 1860
  • Chizala decipiens Walker, 1860
  • Lagyra flaccida Lucas, 1894
  • Hyposidra grisea Warren, 1902
  • Hyposidra khasiana Warren, 1894
  • Lagyra myciterna Druce, 1888
  • Lagyra rigusaria Walker, 1863
  • Hyposidra vampyraria Snellen, 1880
  • Hyposidra schistacea Warren, 1896
  • Lagyra successaria Walker, 1860
  • Lagyra humiferata Walker, 1863

Description

The wingspan is about 30 mm. Female with outer margin of hindwings hardly crenulate. Male with outer margin of neither wing excised. Antennae pectinated. Hindwings with outer margin angled at vein 4. Body dark olive fuscous, more or less irrorated and suffused with grey. Both wings faint traces of medial and crenulate postmedial lines. The cilia dark. Forewings with traces of antemedial line and more or less distinct sub-apical patch in male. Underside with crenulate postmedial line to both wings.[5]

Larva is a looper, with body pinkish olive green, irrorated with black, and with dark patches on 4th and 6th somites. Later instars are uniform brown.[6]

The larvae feed on the foliage of a wide range of plants, including Anacardium, Bombax, Terminalia, Chromolaena, Gynura, Mikania, Cupressus, Aleurites, Aporosa, Bischofia, Breynia, Glochidion, Hevea, Manihot, Ficus, Morus, Psidium, Polygonum, Rubus, Cinchona, Coffea, Mussaenda, Citrus, Euodia, Schleichera, Theobroma, Perilla frutescens, Camellia and Tectona species.[7][8]

Eggs and caterpillars are largely susceptible for many parasitized hymenopterans, and birds.[9]

Subspecies
  • Hyposidra talaca talaca
  • Hyposidra talaca schistacea Warren, 1896
  • Hyposidra talaca successaria (Walker, 1860)

References
  1. "Black Inch Worm". Discover Life. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  2. "Hyposidra talaca (Walker, 1860)". Moths of Northern Thailand. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  3. "Hyposidra talaca (Walker) - Tocklai" (PDF). Tocklai. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  4. "Hyposidra talaca Walker". ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  5. Hampson, G. F. (1895). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Moths Volume III. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (6 January 2014). "Hyposidra talaca (Walker, 1860)". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  7. "Host plants of Hyposidra talaca". The Moths of Borneo. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  8. "A successful participatory IPM approach against Hyposidra talaca Wlk., a devastating pest on tea" (PDF). ipmcenters. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  9. Sinu, Palatty Allesh; Mandal, Picklu; Antony, Binu (2011). "Range expansion of Hyposidra talaca (Geometridae: Lepidoptera), a major pest, to Northeastern Indian tea plantations: Change of weather and anti-predatory behaviour of the pest as possible causes". International Journal of Tropical Insect Science. 31 (4): 242–248. doi:10.1017/S174275841100035X. Retrieved 8 September 2016.


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