Sugarcane Looper

Description:

Erebidae; Erebinae; Euclidiini; Mocis sp. nr. frugalis. I called this moth Mocis sp. nr. frugalis because it looks reasonably close to an M. frugalis displayed in Philippine Lepidoptera, but I felt that it was not close enough to actually be frugalis. The picture in Wikipedia is more colourful than the PhiLep specimen and that made me wonder if I had this one completely wrong. However, I saw a picture in http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au... which looks very much like my pictures and there is a comment written there that M. frugalis has "variable markings". That was enough for me to think that my specimen might be M. frugalis. For the moment, until I see some more pictures, I have decided to stick with Mocis sp. nr. frugalis.

Habitat:

Spotted on foliage in a rice field which has been allowed to rest and grow wild this year.