Castor semi-looper
Achaea janata
The castor semi-looper is a moth from warm parts of Asia, Australia and the Pacific. Its back wings are black with a white band and three big white spots. Its caterpillar walks with a half loop, which is how it got its name.
Lives in
Tropical Asia and Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands to Easter Island
Wingspan
6 to 7 cm (2.4 to 2.8 in)
Can it hurt you?
Better not touch
The moth is harmless, but its caterpillars feed on the poisonous castor oil plant. Do not pick them up or put them near your mouth.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat the leaves of the castor oil plant and many crops, like peanuts, soybeans, tomatoes and citrus.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🧱wings as wide as 2 toy building bricks⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 20 seconds
How big is Castor semi-looper compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
Castor semi-looper about 19 km/h (12 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
A car driving in town about 50 km/h (31 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
It is a big pest of castor oil plants all over the world.
2
Its caterpillar is bluish grey with yellow side stripes and red feet.
3
The caterpillar has two red bumps at its back end.
4
Its small round eggs are greenish.
you asked
Most asked questions about Castor semi-looper
?Why is it called a semi-looper?
Its caterpillar walks with a half loop of its body.
?What does the castor semi-looper eat?
Its caterpillars eat castor oil plants and many other crops.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Achaea janata
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Erebidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Erebidae
- Lives on
- Asia, Australia and Oceania
- Also known as
- Croton caterpillar
Where the facts come from
- Achaea janata (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Ravi Vaidyanathan. CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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