Insect Pests of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal & Aromatic Crops (2+1)

4. Lobster caterpillar

4. Lobster caterpillar - Neostauropus (= Stauropus) alternus Wlk. (Notodontidae: Lepidoptera)

Damage

• The adult is brownish grey moth.
  
• The female moth lays eggs in small clusters on the undersurface of the leaves and hatch in 4-20 days.
• The grown up larva is about 40-45 mm, long with varying coloration of brown to black and is speckled, mottled or pubescent.
  
• The thoracic leg and abdominal claspers are elongated giving the larva the appearance of lobster when disturbed.
  
• It pupates between webbed up leaves in a cocoon.
  
• The pupal period is 10-23 days.