Monkeypod Moths (Melipotis indomita, Ascalapha odorata, and Polydesma umbricola)
- Distribution: all major Hawaiian Islands
- Hosts: Monkeypods (M. indomita also attacks kiawe)
- Symptoms: Defoliation. Webbing with frass on trunk bark.
- Management: Management is not usually necessary. If a tree is particularly stressed, insecticide can be applied to the trunk bark.
Sources:
- Description and Life Cycle of the Monkeypod-Kiawe Caterpillar, Melipotis indomita Walker (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Clifford S. Oda and Ronald F. L. Mau, University of Hawaii, Proceedings, Hawaiian Entomological Society, Vol. XXI, No. 3, September 1974.
- Insect Identification CPS Seminar, Dr. Arnold Hara, University of Hawaii, May 13, 2011, slides 17-18
Monkeypod-kiawe moth. Photo by Forest and Kim Starr, Image# 030724-0076.
