Rhesala moestalis is a species of moth of the family Erebidae[1] first described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found throughout subtropical Africa, from Sierra Leone in the west to Somalia in the east and South Africa in the south. It is also found on most of the African Indian Ocean islands.[2] and in South and South-East Asia.
They have a wingspan of 14–20 mm.
The larvae feed on Fabaceae species, such as Acacia mellifera, Acacia tortilis and Albizia lebbeck. In India they have been recorded as a pest of nursery and young shade trees in tea plantations with a preference for Albizia odoratissima, Albizia procera as well as Albizia lebbeck.[3]
^Zahiri, Reza; Holloway, Jeremy D.; Kitching, Ian J.; Lafontaine, J. Donald; Mutanen, Marko; Wahlberg, Niklas (2012). "Molecular phylogenetics of Erebidae (Lepidoptera, Noctuoidea)". Systematic Entomology. 37 (1): 102–124. Bibcode:2012SysEn..37..102Z. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3113.2011.00607.x. ISSN 1365-3113. S2CID 84249695.
^De Prins, J. & De Prins, W. (2019). "Rhesala moestalis (Walker, 1866)". Afromoths. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
^"CAB Direct". www.cabdirect.org. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
Rhesalamoestalis is a species of moth of the family Erebidae first described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found throughout subtropical Africa, from...
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