Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) of the British Indian Ocean Territory
This is a guide to the Lepidoptera of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The species listed here are primarily those recorded in the Zoological Society London checklist. Additional species have been added from surveys collected through a Darwin Plus project (DPLUS151). This list is not ...more ↓
Eilema antica
Brunia antica is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found from the Indian Subregion, Sri Lanka to China, the Ryukyu Islands, the Chagos Archipelago, the Nicobar Islands and Sundaland.
Heliotrope Moth
Utetheisa pulchelloides (heliotrope moth) is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is found in the Indo-Australian region including Borneo, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Papua, Seychelles and most of Australia.
Anatrachyntis tentoria
Anatrachyntis tentoria is a moth in the family Cosmopterigidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1911, and is known from the Seychelles and the Chagos Archipelago.
Aethaloessa calidalis
Aethaloessa calidalis is a moth of the Crambidae family. It is found throughout the Seychelles, South and South-East Asia, Australia and on many Pacific islands.
Ornate Hydriris Moth
Hydriris ornatalis, the ornate hydriris, is a moth of the Crambidae family. It has a wide distribution and is known from southern Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa and North America, where it is restricted to Florida.
Bradina admixtalis
Bradina admixtalis is a species of moth of the Crambidae family described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found in Australia (Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland), New Guinea, New Zealand, south-east Asia and the Comoros, Réunion, South Africa as well as India.
Culladia admigratella
Culladia admigratella is a moth in the Crambidae family. It was described by Francis Walker in 1863. It has a wide range in the tropics, and has been recorded from the British Indian Ocean Territory, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Socotra, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Sumatra.
Cucumber Moth
Diaphania indica, the cucumber moth or cotton caterpillar, is a widespread but mainly Old World moth species. It belongs to the grass moth family, and therein to the large subfamily Spilomelinae. This moth occurs in many tropical and subtropical regions outside the Americas, though it is native to southern Asia; it is occasionally a significant pest of cucurbits ...more ↓
Eurrhyparodes tricoloralis
Eurrhyparodes tricoloralis is a moth of the Crambidae family. It occurs in Africa, Seychelles, Chagos Archipelago, Réunion, Australia, India, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka and other countries of the far-east.
Grass Webworm Moth
Herpetogramma licarsisalis, the grass webworm or tropical grass webworm, is a moth of the Crambidae family. It is native to most of the old world tropics, including New Zealand, Hong Kong and Queensland. It is an introduced species in many other parts of the world, including Hawaii and the Canary Islands.
Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth
Spoladea recurvalis, sometimes known by the common name Beet Webworm Moth or Hawaiian Beet Webworm, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It is found worldwide, but mainly in the tropics.
Ombava
Achyra massalis, the ombava, is a moth of the Crambidae family. The species was described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found in most of the Old World tropics, including Réunion, Namibia and Australia (including New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia).
Mabra eryxalis
Mabra eryxalis is a moth in the Crambidae family. It was described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found on the Chagos Archipelago and Sumatra, as well as in China, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Australia, where it has been recorded from Queensland.
Bean-leaf Webworm Moth
Omiodes indicata, the bean-leaf webworm moth or soybean leaf folder, is a species of moth of the Crambidae family. It is found from Florida to Texas, the West Indies and Mexico to South America, Cameroon, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, La Réunion, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the Seychelles, South Africa, India, Borneo and Australia ...more ↓
Omiodes poeonalis
Omiodes poeonalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (North Kivu, Bas Congo, Orientale, East Kasai, Katanga), Sierra Leone, Tanzania, the Chagos Archipelago, China, Indonesia (Borneo, Flores, Java, Sumatra), Sri Lanka, Japan and Australia (Queensland).
Parotis suralis
Parotis suralis is a moth of the Crambidae family. It is found around the west Pacific rim, including Chagos Islands, Hong Kong, Japan, Kiribati, Tuvalu and the tropical far north of Queensland.
Banded Pearl
Sameodes cancellalis is a species of moth of the Crambidae family. It has a wide distribution and has been recorded from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Indochina, Taiwan, Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, New Guinea, western and southern Africa, Fiji, the Cook Islands and Australia (Queensland).
Orange-spotted Flower Moth
Syngamia florella, the orange-spotted flower moth or red waisted florella moth, is a moth of the Crambidae family. It is found from South Carolina to Florida and from Arkansas to Texas, south to the West Indies and through Mexico to Argentina. It is also found on Bermuda.
Comostola pyrrhogona
Comostola pyrrhogona is a moth of the family Geometridae described by Francis Walker in 1866. It is found in the Indo-Australian tropics from India, Sri Lanka to Taiwan, and east to Vanuatu, New Caledonia, northern Australia and Norfolk Island.
Scopula actuaria
Scopula actuaria is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was described by ...more ↓
Teak Defoliator
Hyblaea puera, commonly known as the teak defoliator, is a moth native to south-east Asia. The species has also been recently reported to be present in Central America and Africa. The caterpillar feeds on teak and other species of trees common in the region, considered as one of the major teak pests around the world.
Gram Blue
Euchrysops cnejus, the gram blue, is a small butterfly found in India that belongs to the lycaenids or blues family.
Dingy Lineblue
Petrelaea dana, the dingy lineblue, is a species of lycaenid butterfly found in Asia.
Ilima Moth
The Ilima Moth (Amyna natalis) is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is widespread from tropical Asia into northern Australia. It is an introduced species in Hawaii, where it is found on Oahu.
Yellow Scallop Moth
Anomis erosa, the yellow scallop moth or abutilon moth, is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found in south-eastern North America. It is mostly a southern species, but migrants reach Manitoba, Quebec and Maine.
Angled Gem
The Angled gem, (Anomis sabulifera), also known as Jute semi-looper, is a moth of the Erebidae family. It has a paleotropical distribution and ranges from Africa eastwards to India, Sri Lanka and Australia. A single record found from Britain.
Anticarsia irrorata
Anticarsia irrorata is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae known commonly as the owl moth. It is native to the Old World tropics.
White Tangle
Callopistria maillardi is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species can be found throughout central, eastern and southern Africa, including the islands of the Indian Ocean, Yemen, Chagos islands, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, southern China, in Hawaii, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the Society Islands, Sulawesi, as well as Queensland in Australia.
Condica conducta
Condica conducta is a moth of the family Noctuidae described by Francis Walker in 1857. It has a wide range and occurs in Africa (including South Africa, Congo, Madagascar and Réunion) as well as in Hong Kong, Fiji, the Society Islands and the Chagos Archipelago.
Remigia frugalis
The sugarcane looper (Mocis frugalis) is a species of moth of the Erebidae family. It is found in several parts of the world, including India, Sri Lanka, West African countries and other Oriental regions. Adult is a fruit-piercer and a major pest throughout the crops.
Prospalta capensis
Condica capensis is a moth of the Noctuidae family. It is found across Africa, India, Pakistan and South-East Asia. In Europe, it is only common in Southern Spain, but can be found north of this.
Mediterranean Brocade
Spodoptera littoralis, also referred to as the African cotton leafworm or Egyptian cotton leafworm or Mediterranean Brocade, is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. S. littoralis is found widely in Africa, Mediterranean Europe and Middle Eastern countries. It is a highly polyphagous organism that is a pest of many cultivated plants and crops. As ...more ↓
Oriental leafworm moth
Spodoptera litura, the tobacco cutworm or cotton leafworm, is a nocturnal species of moth. S. litura is a serious polyphagous pest in Asia, Oceania, and the Indian subcontinent described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. Its names reference two of the most common host plants of the moth. In total, 87 species of host plants that are parasitized by S. ...more ↓
Lawn Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera mauritia, the lawn armyworm, also known as paddy swarming caterpillar, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. Cosmopolitan species, it is a major polyphagous pest throughout the world.
Thyas honesta
Thyas honesta is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the Indian subregion, Burma, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Borneo and on the Philippines.
Yellow Underwing
Thyas coronata is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from the Indo-Australian tropics of India, Sri Lanka to Micronesia and the Society Islands.
Chasmina candida
Chasmina candida is a moth of the family Noctuidae described by Francis Walker in 1865. It is found from Indo-Australian tropics east to Fiji, including many islands of the Indian Ocean and Pacific.
Chasmina tibialis
Chasmina tibialis is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from Africa, Asia and from Australia, New Caledonia and Fiji to central Polynesia.
Tomato Looper
The Tomato Looper (Chrysodeixis chalcites) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found from southern Europe, the Levant and tropical Africa, but can be found in great parts of Europe because it is a migratory species.
Green Garden Looper
The Green Garden Looper (Chrysodeixis eriosoma) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. Mostly cosmopolitan distribution, it is a serious pest found throughout Wadelai, Aden, Japan, China, throughout the Indian, Sri Lanka, Malayan, and Australasian regions. It is present in Hawaii and recorded as an incursion in mainland North America and Russia....
Chrysodeixis illuminata
Chrysodeixis illuminata is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found across south-east Asia and the southern Pacific, including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Timor, New Caledonia, Borneo, the Cook Islands, Queensland, the Chagos Archipelago and Samoa.
Characoma nilotica
The Black-olive Caterpillar or Bungee Caterpillar (Garella nilotica) is a moth of the Nolidae family. It has a pantropical distribution, including the eastern North America (from Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New York south to Florida and Texas), the Caribbean, the Iberian Peninsula, Australia, Guam, Fiji, Samoa, the Galapagos Islands and the Chagos Archipelago.
Great Eggfly
Hypolimnas bolina, the great eggfly, common eggfly or in New Zealand the blue moon butterfly is a species of nymphalid butterfly.
Danaid Eggfly
Hypolimnas misippus, the Danaid eggfly, mimic, or diadem, is a widespread species of nymphalid butterfly. It is well known for polymorphism and mimicry. Males are blackish with distinctive white spots that are fringed in blue. Females are in multiple forms that include male-like forms while others closely resemble the toxic butterflies Danaus ...more ↓
Meadow Argus
The meadow argus (Junonia villida) is a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae, commonly found in Australia. It is also known as Albin's Hampstead eye in the United Kingdom, where it has occurred only as an accidental import.
Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui is a well-known colorful butterfly, known as the painted lady, or in North America as the cosmopolitan. This butterfly has a strange habit of flying in a sort of screw shape.
Yarrow Plume Moth
Gillmeria pallidactyla is a moth of the Pterophoridae family. It has a Holarctic distribution and is widespread throughout North America and Eurasia.
Lantanophaga pusillidactyla
Lantanophaga pusillidactyla, the lantana plume moth, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is native to the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. It was introduced to Australia accidentally in 1936 and is now found from Sydney to Cairns along the coast. It has also been introduced to Hawaii in 1902, Pohnpei in 1948 and Palau in 1960 for ...more ↓
Megalorhipida leucodactyla
Megalorhipida leucodactyla is a species of moth of the Pterophoridae family that has a pantropical distribution.
Endotricha mesenterialis
Endotricha mesenterialis is a species of snout moth in the genus Endotricha. It was described by Francis Walker in 1859. It has a wide distribution and is known from Austral Island, Australia, the Kermadec Islands, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Palau, Samoa, Tahiti, Begum Island, Christmas Island, India, Indonesia (Borneo), Malaysia, the New Hebrides, the Nicobar Islands, ...more ↓
Greater Wax Moth
Galleria mellonella, the greater wax moth or honeycomb moth, is a moth of the family Pyralidae. G. mellonella is found throughout the world. It is one of two species of wax moths, with the other being the lesser wax moth. G. mellonella eggs are laid in the spring, and they have four life stages. Males are able to generate ultrasonic sound pulses, ...more ↓
Greater Death's Head Hawkmoth
Acherontia lachesis, commonly known as Greater death's head hawkmoth, is a large (up to 13 cm wingspan) Sphingid moth found in India, Sri Lanka and much of the Oriental region, one of the three species of Death's-head Hawkmoth, also known as the Bee Robber. It is nocturnal, and very fond of honey; they can mimic the scent of honey bees so that they can enter ...more ↓
Convolvulus Hawkmoth
Agrius convolvuli, the convolvulus hawk-moth, is a large hawk-moth. It is common throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, partly as a migrant.
Cephonodes picus
Cephonodes picus is a moth of the family Sphingidae described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. It is found in most of the Old World tropics, including India, the Cocos-Keeling Islands, the Maldives, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Torres Strait Islands, Brunei and the Chagos Archipelago.
Dark Striated Hawkmoth
Hippotion velox, the dark striated hawkmoth, is a species of sphingid moth or the family Sphingidae. The species was described by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1793. It is found throughout the Indo-Australian tropics of India, Sri Lanka and east to Fiji and New Caledonia, north to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Sumatra southern Japan and northern Australia from Western Australia to ...more ↓
Macroglossum corythus
Macroglossum corythus is a species of hawk moth of the family Sphingidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1856 and is found throughout the Indo-Australian tropics east to New Caledonia.
Appleleaf-curling moth
Adoxophyes privatana, the appleleaf-curling moth, is a moth of the family Tortricidae. It is native to south-east Asia, where it has been recorded from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China (Hainan), Nepal, India, Sri-Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, western Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, the Philippines and the Chagos Archipelago. It is an accidental introduction in Great ...more ↓
Mango Flower Webworm
Dudua aprobola is a moth of the Tortricidae family. It is found in Taiwan, Japan, the Seychelles, Nepal, India, the Chagos Archipelago, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, western Malaysia, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Brunei, Kalimantan, the Philippines, Sulawesi, Buru, Ambon, New Guinea, the D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Australia, the Admiralty Islands, New Ireland, the ...more ↓
Heleanna physalodes
Heleanna physalodes is a moth of the family Tortricidae first described by Edward Meyrick in 1926. It is ...more ↓
Prays citri
Prays citri, the citrus blossom moth or citrus young fruit borer, is a moth of the family Plutellidae. It is found in Southern Europe.
Dark blue pansy
Junonia oenone, the blue pansy or dark blue pansy, is a Nymphalid butterfly native to Africa. "Blue pansy" is also used in India to describe Junonia orithya.
