PESTS OF RICE (BORERS AND FOLIAGE FEEDERS) :: Major Pests :: Rice Horned Caterpiller
9. Rice horned caterpillar: Melanitis ismene (Satyridae, Lepidoptera)
Distribution and status: Throughout India
Host range: Rice, Millets
Damage symptoms: The larva of this butterfly feeds on leaf blades of rice. Leaves are defoliated from the margin or tip irregularly.
Bionomics: The butterfly lays round white eggs singly on the leaves. The caterpillar is green, slightly flattened with two red horn processes on the head and two yellow processes in the anal end. It pupates in a greenish chrysalis, which suspends from the leaf. The butterfly is dark brown with large wings having a black and yellow eye like spot one on each of the fore wings. |
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