Slender burnished brass

Description:

Thysanoplusia orichalcea, known as the slender burnished brass is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a polyphagous pest of vegetable crops that originated in Indonesia, from where it spread to Europe, South Asia, India, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In northern Europe it is a migrant species. The wingspan is 36–44 mm. The fore wings are extensively covered with a metallic golden shimmering surface. Only the costal field and hem are brown in colour. The reniform and orbicular tain are small and white bordered. The unpatterned hindwings are grey-brown, somewhat darker at the margin. The thorax is furry and with some hair tufts, the proboscis is well developed.

Habitat:

The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants, including crops such as sunflower, potato and soybean. In managing their population, phenylacetaldehyde, a volatile floral compound attractive to many Lepidoptera and present in Canada thistle, was found to be effective in trapping especially the females of the species.

Notes:

Photos taken @ Bikodze, Bosnia & Herzegovina.