Banisia myrsusalis

Sapodilla borer
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Thyrididae
Genus:	Banisia
Species:	B. myrsusalis
Binomial name
Banisia myrsusalis (Walker, 1859)
Synonyms
Pyralis elaralis Walker, 1859 Durdara zonula Swinhoe, 1885 Durdara lobata Moore, 1882 Durdara pyraliata Moore, 1882

Banisia myrsusalis, the sapodilla borer[1] or sapota midrib folder, is a species of moth of the family Thyrididae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1859 and is found in North America, Brazil, Australia,[2] southern Asia (India, Sri Lanka) and Africa (Madagascar, South Africa).[3]

Description

The wingspan is about 2 cm.[4] Palpi with the third joint of moderate length. Antennae nearly simple in both sexes. Outer margin of both wings nearly evenly curved. Body greyish brown, where some specimens with a slight red or pink tinge. Wings are somewhat lineally striated with dark brown. Forewings with the costa yellow. Cilia fuscous on forewing and white on hindwing. Ventral side is silvery grey where striae are prominent and chestnut brown in colour. Forewings with two brownish postmedial and one sub-apical patch.[5]

Ecology

A host plant of this species is sapodilla[6] (Manilkara zapota), a Sapotaceae.[7][8] Total life cycle of a male and a female is experimentally proved about 40.8 ± 3.97 and 45.35 ± 4.08 days, respectively.[9]

Subspecies

• Banisia myrsusalis cinereola Felder, Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875
• Banisia myrsusalis elaralis (Walker, 1859)
• Banisia myrsusalis sumatrensis Whalley, 1976

Host plants

• Manilkara zapota
• Mimusops elengi
• Pouteria caimito
• Madhuca latifolia
• Terminalia tomentosa

[10]

References

1. "700001.00 – 6086 – Banisia myrsusalis – Sapodilla Borer Moth – (Walker, 1859)". North American Moth Photographers Group. Mississippi State University. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
2. Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (12 November 2011). "Banisia myrsusalis (Walker, 1895) Sapodilla Borer". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
3. De Prins, J.; De Prins, W. (2017). "Banisia myrsusalis (Walker, 1859)". Afromoths. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
4. "Banisia myrsusalis (Walker, 1895)". Butterfly House. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
5. Hampson, G. F. (1892). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume I. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
6. "Banisia myrsusalis (Walker)". ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
7. Patel BS, Jhala RC, Pandya HV, and Patel CB, Biology of leaf-folder (Banisia myrsusalis elearalis) (Lepidoptera: Thyrididae), a pest of sapota (Achras zapota), Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Volume 63 (1993), pp. 604-5
8. "Banisia myrsusalis (Walker)". ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
9. Sathish, Ravulapenta; Naik, D Jemla.; Deepika, Kundaty. "Biology of sapota midrib folder, Banisia myrsusalis elearalis Walker (Thyrididae: Lepidoptera) infesting sapota under hill zone of Karnataka". AAPMHE. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
10. "HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants". The Natural History Museum. Retrieved 28 June 2018.

External links

• Seasonal incidence of sapota midrib folder (Banisia myrsusalis elearalis Walker) on different varieties of sapota
• Sapodilla borer moth photos
• Biology of leaf-folder (Banisia myrsusalis elearalis)
• New distributional and foodplant records
• Media related to Banisia myrsusalis at Wikimedia Commons