Eudocima aurantia

{{Short description|Species of moth}} {{Speciesbox | image = Eudocima aurantia 248729857.jpg | image_caption = | image2 = | image2_caption = | genus = Eudocima | species = aurantia | authority = (Moore, 1877) | synonyms = *''Ophideres aurantia'' Moore, 1877 *''Adris rutilus'' Moore, 1881 *''Khadira aurantia'' Moore; Holloway, 1976 }}

'''''Eudocima aurantia''''', the '''fruit-sucking moth''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:2c8cb215-5d63-42d2-b59f-62638ff69d38|title=Species: Eudocima aurantia}}</ref> is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by the British entomologist Frederic Moore in 1877. It is found across south-east Asia, from Sri-Lanka to northern Queensland, Australia. It is also present on the Andamans.

==Description== The wingspan is about 90–120 mm. Palpi with third joint long and spatulate at extremity. Forewings with produced apex to a rounded lobe. Head and thorax ferrous colored, with plum-color suffusion. Abdomen orange. Forewing ferrous with dark stria and slight purple bloom. The veins speckled with blue. Reniform green and indistinct. There is a dark line runs from apex to center of inner margin, sometimes with green patches beyond it. Hindwings orange with a large black lunule beyond lower angle of cell. A submarginal patch can be seen between veins 1 and 2. Ventral side orange. Forewings with black mark below angle of cell and beyond the cell between veins 3 and 5. Hindwings with lunule and patch of upperside.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hampson |first=G. F. |author-link=George Hampson |date=1894 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/180400#page/5/mode/1up |title=The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume II |publisher=Taylor and Francis |via=Biodiversity Heritage Library}}</ref>

==Ecology== Larva has pinkish grey dorsal surface suffused darker to a V-shaped yellow band. It has black spiracles and marbled white-ringed rufous-orange ocellate marks with three ferrous lines crossing them. The larvae feed on ''Cocculus'' species. The moth resembles a leaf, which fools predators such as birds.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Woodford |first1=James |title=How a moth uses an optical illusion to disguise itself as a leaf |work=New Scientist |issue=3531 |date=22 February 2025}}</ref> Both adults and caterpillars are pests of various fruits. They pierce the fruit in order to suck the juice and in the case of the caterpillar eat the flesh.<ref>{{cite web |last=Holloway |first=Jeremy Daniel |url=http://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-15-16/calpini/calpini_4_6.php | title=''Eudocima'' [''Khadira''] ''aurantia'' Moore | website=The Moths of Borneo | accessdate=18 August 2016}}</ref> Fruits may show pre-mature fall due to the attack.

Parasitoids such as ''Telenomus lucullus'' and ''Euplectrus melanocephalus'' are used as controlling measures.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Herbison-Evans |first1=Don |last2=Crossley |first2=Stella |name-list-style=amp |date=23 February 2017 |url=http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/calp/aurantia.html |title=''Eudocima aurantia'' (Moore, 1877) Fruit Sucking Moth |website=Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths |accessdate=15 January 2019}}</ref>

==Gallery== <gallery> Eudocima_aurantia_female_dorsal.jpg| Female, dorsal view Eudocima_aurantia_male_dorsal.jpg| Male, dorsal view Eudocima_aurantia_female_ventral.jpg| Female, ventral view Eudocima_aurantia_male_ventral.jpg| Male, ventral view File:Fruit-sucking moth (2011) 3931.jpg </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080808205119/http://www.padil.gov.au/viewPestDiagnosticImages.aspx?id=762 Species info]

aurantia Category:Fauna of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Category:Moths described in 1877 Category:Moths of Asia Category:Moths of Australia Category:Taxa named by Frederic Moore