Ailanthus defoliator

Description:

This beautiful moth was attracted to the light from the night lamp in my balcony. this species has a wingspan of 55 to 88 mm with females being larger. The golden yellow hind wings have a thick black border and grey fore-wings have a black dotted diffuse white band. The abdomen is golden yellow with black dots. The larvae are hairy and conspicuous with yellow and black bands. They are often found hanging on silk, from the host plant and are often found in groups. you can checkout the caterpillar here http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/181... and here is another spotting of this beautiful moth http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/185...

Habitat:

Host plant for the larvae is Alianthus. We have few Alianthus trees at the nearby rubber plantation.