Orgyia postica (Walker, 1855) - Cocoa Tussock Moth

Taxonomic Information

Orgyia Ochsenheimer, 1810 species known from the Indian subcontinent.
Orgyia osseata Walker, 1862. India; SE Asia.
Orgyia postica (Walker, 1855). Oriental tropics. 
Orgyia viridescens (Walker, 1855). Sri Lanka.
 

Photo Gallery and Species Biology

StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh1
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh1
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa1
Gujarat1
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka21
Kerala1
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra21
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga1
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand21654
West Bengal11
Total41218763

Orgyia postica (Walker, 1855) – Cocoa Tussock Moth: Albizia lebbeck,Erythrina variegata, Erythrina subumbrans, Pithecellobium dulce, Glycine max, Pterocarpus marsupium (Fabaceae), Anogeissus latifolia (Combretaceae),Buchanania cochinchinensis, Mangifera indica (Anacardiaceae), Callicarpa pedunculata, Tectona grandis (Lamiaceae), Camellia sinensis (Theaceae),Cinnamomum sp. (Lauraceae), Geranium sp. (Geraniaceae), Casuarina sp. (Casuarinaceae), Hopea sp., Shorea robusta (Dipterocarpaceae),  Lagerstroemia speciosa,  Lagerstroemia indica (Lythraceae), Malus pumila (Rosaceae),  Pelargonium peltatum (Geraniaceae), Cinchona sp. (Rubiaceae), Populus deltoides (Salicaceae), Prunus dulcis (Rosaceae), Ricinus communis, Hevea brasiliensis (Euphorbiaceae), Ziziphus jujuba, Ziziphus xylopyrus (Rhamnaceae),Santalum album (Santalaceae) (Robinson et al. 2010).

  1. OD: Lacida postica Walker, 1855. List Specimens lepid. Insects Colln Br. Mus., 4: 803. Text at https://archive.org/stream/listofspecimenso46brit#page/803/mode/1up.
  2. Hampson, G. F. [1893]. The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Moths, Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis, London. Pp. xxiii + 527. Saturniidae to Hypsidae 527 p - 333 fig. Pg. 436, # 960.
  3. Gurule, S & S. M. Nikam. 2013. The moths (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) of northern Maharashtra: a preliminary checklist. Journal of Threatened Taxa 5(12): 4693–4713; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2555.4693-713. Image 109.
  4. http://www.nbair.res.in/insectpests/Orgyia-postica.php [accessed 07 September 2018]
  5. http://www.mothsofborneo.com/part-5/orgyiini/orgyiini_1_1.php

Note: Females are wingless. 

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Orgyia postica (Walker, 1855) – Cocoa Tussock Moth. In Sondhi, S., Y. Sondhi, R.P. Singh, P. Roy and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 3.72. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://moths.ncbs.res.in/orgyia-postica, accessed 2024/03/28.