Thysanoplusia orichalcea

Thysanoplusia orichalcea, the slender burnished brass,[1] is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. It is a polyphagous pest of vegetable crops that originated in Indonesia, from where it spread to Europe, South Asia, India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.[2] In northern Europe it is a migrant species.

Slender burnished brass
Adult feeding on Salvia nectar
Mounted adult
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Noctuidae
Genus:
Thysanoplusia
Species:
T. orichalcea
Binomial name
Thysanoplusia orichalcea
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Noctua orichalcea Fabricius, 1775
  • Trichoplusia orichalcea
  • Thysanoplusia chrysitina Martyn, 1797
  • Thysanoplusia aurifera Hübner, [1813]

Description
For a key to the terms used, see Glossary of entomology terms.

The wingspan is 36–44 mm. Its head, collar and the vertex of its head are reddish orange. Tegulae and forewings pale reddish brown. The forewings are extensively covered with a metallic golden shimmering surface. Only the costal field and hem are brown. Sub-basal, antemedial and postmedial waved lines very indistinct, fine and whitish in colour. The sub-marginal line irregularly lunulate. The reniform and orbicular tain are small and white bordered. The unpatterned hindwings are grey brown, somewhat darker at the margin. The thorax is furry and with some hair tufts, the proboscis is well developed.

Larva bluish green with a few short dorsal hairs. There are slender dorsal white lines and a prominent lateral line.[3]

Ecology

The moth flies from August to October, depending on the location.

The larvae feed on various herbaceous plants, including crops such as sunflower, Coreopsis, potato and soybean.[4] In managing their population, phenylacetaldehyde, a volatile floral compound attractive to many Lepidoptera and present in Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), was found to be effective in trapping especially the females of the species.[2]

  • Strong golden wing iridescence as revealed in favourable illumination
  • Illuminated from a different angle

References
  1. Plantwise Knowledge Bank
  2. Stringer, L.D.; et al. (December 2008). "Floral attractants for the female soybean looper, Thysanoplusia orichalcea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)". Pest Management Science. 64 (12): 1218–21. doi:10.1002/ps.1621. PMID 18615789.
  3. Hampson, G. F. (1894). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume II. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. "Robinson, G. S., P. R. Ackery, I. J. Kitching, G. W. Beccaloni & L. M. Hernández, 2010. HOSTS – A Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants. Natural History Museum, London".


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