Banisia myrsusalis explained

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]

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

Notes and References

1. Web site: 700001.00 – 6086 – Banisia myrsusalis – Sapodilla Borer Moth – (Walker, 1859) . North American Moth Photographers Group . Mississippi State University . 18 November 2018.
2. Web site: Herbison-Evans . Don . Crossley . Stella . amp. 12 November 2011 . Banisia myrsusalis (Walker, 1895) Sapodilla Borer . Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths . 18 November 2018.
3. Web site: J. . De Prins . W. . De Prins . 2017 . Banisia myrsusalis (Walker, 1859) . Afromoths . 14 November 2017.
4. Web site: Banisia myrsusalis (Walker, 1895) . Butterfly House . 17 July 2016.
5. Book: Hampson, G. F. . George Hampson

   . George Hampson . The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma: Moths Volume I . Taylor and Francis . 1892 . Biodiversity Heritage Library.

6. Web site: Banisia myrsusalis (Walker) . ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources . 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. Web site: Banisia myrsusalis (Walker) . ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources . 11 March 2017.
9. Web site: Biology of sapota midrib folder, Banisia myrsusalis elearalis Walker (Thyrididae: Lepidoptera) infesting sapota under hill zone of Karnataka . AAPMHE . 17 July 2016 . Sathish, Ravulapenta . Naik, D Jemla. . Deepika, Kundaty.
10. Web site: HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants . The Natural History Museum. 28 June 2018.