Citrus fruit piercer- female [Eudocima phalonia]

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Flora & Fauna

The female moth, according to Wikipedia has a wingspan of about 90-110 mm, while that of the male is 80-94 mm. The body is approximately 5 cm long. According to the Pestnet website, “The moth has a feeding tube (proboscis) that is up to 25 mm long, barbed and strong enough to penetrate tough rind of fruits and to suck out the juices.” The holes that Citrus fruit piercers make in fruits provide entry points for bacteria and fungi. According to the Pestnet website, “The caterpillars are dark brown to black when together in large numbers, and pale yellow to green when solitary. The pupae develop in silken cocoons on leaves that they draw together. After 2-3 weeks the adults emerge, mate a few days later, and the female starts laying eggs - up to 750 — during a life of about 30 days.”

Collection:

Nature Collection

Album Name:

Mymoon Moghul collection - Moths

Photograph ID:

001/0394/0040

Album ID:

0394

Photographer:

Mymoon Moghul was born and brought up in the IIT Madras campus. She did her schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Madras. Mymoon Moghul graduated from Quaid-e-Millat Govt. College for Women, Chennai with a degree in zoology. Following this, she completed her post-graduation in Library and Information Science and Psychology. In 2001, Mymoon attained a doctorate in the field of scientometrics. She has been working as a library professional since 1986. Since 1993, she has been working at the CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai. She is a passionate wildlife photographer.