General Information

COMMON NAMES: Southern Silver-Y Moth, Garden Looper [larvae], Green Looper [larvae], Green Semilooper Caterpillar, Silver-Y Moth GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: India - se.Asia / Australia - French Polynesia - Easter Island; s. to NZ. COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, horticultural SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Pest KEY FEATURES: Medium moth (17-19mmTL) brown often with crest on thorax and with burnished and gold markings on wings. SIMILAR SPECIES: Chrysodeixis acuta is smaller, and has a more acute forewing apex. Cryptophlebia pallifimbriana, a tortricid, might be confused with present species.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Chrysodeixis eriosoma (Doubleday, 1843)
SYNONYMS: Plusia eriosoma Doubleday, 1843, Plusia chalcites Esper[mis-identification, an Old World species]

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Lepidoptera; NOCTUIDAE

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Pest. Comments: Caterpillar feeds on a wide variety of plants.

IDENTIFICATION: Medium moth (17-19mmTL) brown often with crest on thorax and with burnished and gold markings on wings. Fore wings dark brown with varying amounts of burnished light brown reflections, the shape of the gold point-like markings is diagnostic (see illustration). Hind wings dull blackish brown. Underside brown. Head, Thorax, Abdomen dark blackish brown. Legs, Antennae dull greyish brown. Some specimens have burnished brown markings on thorax. The prominent, tall crest between the wings is characteristic, but is often worn off. CATERPILLAR green with fine white stripes, and lacks prolegs on abdominal segments 3 & 4, making the caterpillar move like a looper or inchworm; pupates in a white silk cocoon in a folded leaf.

GENERAL NOTE: The caterpillar is the Garden Looper of NZ and Australia, feeding on a wide variety of herbs (weeds, vegetables, especially kumara, and ornamentals, especially Colies).

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: BESO99, specimen #171, 184, 493, ID J.Dugdale 4/2000.

References:
Special Reference: PM79, W&D79

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM05a, zD02

Web Resources

• Google
• Google Images