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Project Noah Nature School
Lymantria lunata
Third time I've spotted this type of flightless moth. The first spotting is here: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/154.... I've spotted this one laying eggs on a Thuja sp. plant. Lymantria lunata (Stoll, 1782), called Luna Gypsy Moth, is a species of moth of the Lymantriidae family (or Erebidae in the new classification). It is found in Southeast Asia, from India to the northeast coast of Australia. The wingspan is about 60 mm. The body is brown and the wings are white with a pattern of brown lines on the forewings. The larvae have been recorded feeding on Mangifera indica, Buchanania muelleri and Ficus benjamina. Classification: Butterflies and Moths (Lepidoptera) » Moths » Noctuoidea » Erebidae » Tussock Moths (Lymantriinae) » Lymantriini » Lymantria.
Backyard.
Compare with L. dispar Gypsy Moth - http://bugguide.net/node/view/8780. Here is the male Luna Gypsy Moth - http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/170....
Spotted on Oct 28, 2012
Submitted on Nov 1, 2012
2 Comments
Thanks Leana and iGo.
@iGo, yes they are similar spottings. My 1st sighting of the species on a palm plant I reported in my 1st spotting (http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/154...). The moth died after 3-4 days. In this new spotting (moth was on a thuja plant), I was able to capture it laying eggs. In pic#5, its pupal case is visible. This moth also died after 3-4 days.
thats similar spotting.. even a brown strips wings.. nice pic especially the 3rd.