Banyan tussock moth

Perina nuda · Order: Lepidoptera · Family: Erebidae

Also called: Clearwing Tussock Moth

Damages trees, gardens or crops. It damages banyan trees and several fruit crops.

Source: Wikipedia

Banyan tussock moth
Photo: Pavel Kirillov from St.Petersburg, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0

The caterpillar has a grey head, black back and white hairs, while the pupa is bristly with orange setae on a dark-grey and cream body. The larvae feed on banyan species and on fruit trees such as mango and jackfruit, making it a minor pest of those plants.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Caterpillars show a greyish head and flanks, a broad black back, and white setae. Pupae are bristly, piebald dark grey and cream, with orange setae.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Caterpillars feed on several banyan species (Ficus benjamina, F. benghalensis, F. racemosa, F. pumila, F. religiosa) and on crop plants such as jackfruit (Artocarpus) and mango (Mangifera).

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Banyan tussock moth photo 3
Photo: goldentakin, CC BY 2.0
Banyan tussock moth photo 4
Photo: Yunhan, CC0
Banyan tussock moth photo 5
Photo: LiCheng Shih, CC BY 2.0
Banyan tussock moth photo 6
Photo: LiCheng Shih, CC BY 2.0

Questions people ask

What plants does the banyan tussock moth damage?

Its larvae feed on banyan trees and on fruit crops such as mango and jackfruit, causing minor damage.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Erebidae)

Spongy MothSpongy MothLymantria disparDamages trees, gardens or cropsFall Webworm MothFall Webworm MothHyphantria cuneaDamages trees, gardens or cropsBrown-tail MothBrown-tail MothEuproctis chrysorrhoeaCan irritate skinIsabella Tiger MothIsabella Tiger MothPyrrharctia isabellaVirginian Tiger MothVirginian Tiger MothSpilosoma virginicaCan irritate skinSalt Marsh MothSalt Marsh MothEstigmene acrea

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perina_nuda

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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