| Metanastria hyrtaca | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Caterpillar in Sri Lanka | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Lasiocampidae |
| Genus: | Metanastria |
| Species: | M. hyrtaca |
| Binomial name | |
| Metanastria hyrtaca Cramer, 1782 | |
| Synonyms | |
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Metanastria hyrtaca, called the hairy caterpillar as a larva, is a moth of the family Lasiocampidae first described by Pieter Cramer in 1782. [1] It is found in Sri Lanka. [2]
The adult has a grayish head and thorax and a whitish abdomen. Forewings are brownish with a characteristic reddish-brown spot ringed with white. Hindwings are whitish. Larva yellowish brown with black spots and long lateral tufts of hairs. A reddish band is found in the neck region. [3]
The caterpillar is a serious pest of many economically important crops such as cashew, badam, moringa, sapota, jamun, guava, Vachellia nilotica, Shorea robusta , Schima wallichii , Nyctanthes arbor-tristis , Mimusops elengi and Madhuca longifolia . [4]
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