Hyblaea puera

Hyblaea puera
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Hyblaeidae
Genus: Hyblaea
Species:
H. puera
Binomial name
Hyblaea puera
(Cramer, 1777)
Synonyms
  • Noctua puera Cramer, 1777
  • Noctua saga Fabricius, 1787
  • Noctua unxia Hübner, 1813
  • Heliothis apricans Boisduval, 1833
  • Nabara limacodella Walker, 1866
  • Aenigma mirificum Strecker, 1876
  • Hyblaea puera nigra Stebbing, 1903

Hyblaea puera, the teak defoliator, is a moth and cryptic species complex native to South Asia and South-east Asia. It was first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. The species has also been recently reported to be present in Central America and Africa. The caterpillar feeds on teak and other trees.[1] It is considered to be one of the major teak pests around the world.[2]

Hyblaea puera in Kerala. Here we can partially see the black and orange-yellow hindwings under the greyish-brown forewings.
  1. ^ Herbison-Evans, Don (6 September 2007). "Hyblaea puera". University of Technology, Sydney. Archived from the original on 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  2. ^ "Hyblaea puera Cramer". Insects in Indian Agroecosystems. ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources. Retrieved 8 August 2016.