Serrodes partita, the catapult moth, is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It is found in western, eastern, central and southern Africa,[1] India, Indonesia (Borneo, Java) and Sri Lanka.[2][3]

Catapult moth
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Erebidae
Genus:	Serrodes
Species:	S. partita
Binomial name
Serrodes partita (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
Noctua partita Fabricius 1775 Ophiodes basisignum Walker, 1858 Phalaena inara Cramer, 1780 Phoberia korana Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874

Description

The wingspan of the adults is approximately 60 mm. Head, thorax and forewings dark or red or greyish brown. Forewings with a sub-basal dark red-brown spot on the costa, with a line from its lower edge. A similar antemedial spot and large lunule found below the cell with a highly excurved line from its lower edge. Reniform broken up into a number of tessellated spots with pale edges, and with rufous marks on the costa above it. A double straight postmedial line angled below the costa. Abdomen and hindwings are fuscous. Hindwings have traces of a medial pale line. Cilia paler at apex and anal angle.[4]

They feed on plants such as Prunus persica, Sapindus saponaria, Sapindus trifoliatus,[5] Pappea capensis, Prunus persica, Sapindus saponica, Grewia occidentalis, Citrus, Deinbollia oblongifolia, Acacia, Deinbollia pinnata, Eucalyptus blobulus, and Leptospermum laevigatum.[6]

See also

• Cutworm

References

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