Amyna axis

Amyna axis, the oriental eight-spot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Achille Guenée in 1852.

Amyna axis
Amyna axis, Oriental Eight-Spot, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Amyna
Species:	A. axis
Binomial name
Amyna axis (Guenée, 1852)
Synonyms
Perigea octo Guenée, 1852 Amyna octo (Guenée, 1852) Perigea axis Guenée, 1852 Poaphila stricta Walker, 1858 Calaena flavigutta Walker, 1858 Celaena perfundens Walker, 1858 Ilattia cephusalis Walker, [1859] Amyna colon Guenée, 1862 Perigea vexabilis Wallengren, 1863 Miana inornata Walker, 1865 Celaena obstructa Walker, 1862 Perigea leucospila Walker, 1865 Erastria stigmatula Snellen, 1872 Stridova albigutta Walker, 1869 Erastria bavia Felder & Rogenhofer, 1874 Segetia orbica Morrison, 1875 Amyna undulifera Butler, 1875 Chytoryza tecta Grote, 1876 Botys monotretalis Mabille, 1879 Perigea supplex Swinhoe, 1885 Berresa rufa Bethune-Baker, 1906

Distribution

It occurs in Africa, temperate Asia, Australia and the Cook Islands. The New World population of Amyna axis was determined to be a separate species, Amyna stricta, in 2015.^[1][2][3]

The moth migrates north each year in late summer and fall.

Food plants

The larvae feed on Amaranthus, Croton, Celosia, Digera, Helianthus, Chenopodium, Spinacia, Ipomoea, Ricinus, Arachis, Crotalaria, Medicago, Phaseolus, Hibiscus, Cardiospermum, Solanum, Corchorus and Parasponia species.^[4][5]

It is an irregular minor pest of mung beans (Vigna radiata), black-eyed peas (Vigna unguiclata), lucerne (Medicago sativa) and soy beans (Glycine max). Its prevalence may be under reported due to the resemblance of the caterpillar with those of Chrysoieixis species.^[1]

Early stages

The larvae are thin bodied and have faint white stripes and two pairs of ventral prolegs.^[1] At low densities of groups, caterpillars are pale green. Among caterpillars at high densities, there are higher frequencies of melanistic phenotypes. The degree of blackening varied widely, ranging from individuals with simple subdorsal-lateral patches to those that were mostly black.^[4]

Larvae perch on the undersides of leaves and along stems and petioles. At rest, the abdominal segments are often looped upward. When alarmed the larva essentially jumps from the host and continues to wreathe and wriggle wildly. Prepupal larvae take on a pinkish cast. Pupation occurs in a silken cocoon below (usually) or at the soil surface. Sand and/or plant debris are interwoven into the cocoon wall.^[4]

Adult

The adult moth is chocolate brown above and has a wingspan of 20–25 mm (0.79–0.98 in). The forewings have faint greyish-white lines and an obscure figure-of-eight mark on it. The hindwings are lighter with fainter markings. The male can be differentiated by the presence of a small semi-transparent patch on each wing.^[1] Adults are on wing in late summer and early fall. Forewing of male with a small vesicle in cell, with a small valve of scales over it on underside, the median nervure being slightly curved. It is smaller than Amyna punctum.^[6]