Indarbela quadrinotatus
Authors/Creators
- 1. Altai State University, pr. Lenina 61, Barnaul, 656049, Russia. & Tomsk State University, Lenina pr. 36, 634050 Tomsk, Russia.
- 2. Harlindestraat 53, 6101 DS Echt, the Netherlands.
- 3. Lepidoptera Section, Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata- 700053, West Bengal, India. & Department of Zoology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal.
- 4. Altai State University, pr. Lenina 61, Barnaul, 656049, Russia. & Lepidoptera Section, Zoological Survey of India, New Alipore, Kolkata- 700053, West Bengal, India. & Altai State University, pr. Lenina 61, Barnaul, 656049, Russia.
Description
Indarbela quadrinotatus (Walker, 1856)
Figs 1–20
Cossus 4-notatus Walker, 1856: 1521.
Type locality: Ceylon.
Type material: holotype (male) in NHMUK.
= Cossus abruptus Walker, 1865: 584. Type locality: Hindostan. Type material: holotype (male) in NHMUK. In the original description (Walker 1865) states “presented by Sir J. Hearsay”.
However, this report does not help to accurately establish the type locality of C. abruptus, as the collector of the specimen, due to his extraordinary career, served in various portions of British India (Pearse 1905).
= Cossus tesselatus Moore, 1879a: 85−86, syn. rev. Type locality: Calcutta. Type material: syntypes in NHMUK and MfN.
= Arbela tetraonis Moore, 1879b: 411, syn. nov. Type locality: Bombay. Type material: holotype (female) in NHMUK.
Material examined. Male (holotype of Cossus 4-notatus Walker, 1856), Ceylon (NHMUK); male (holotype of Cossus abruptus Walker, 1865) E. Ind. (NHMUK); 1 male, 4 females (syntypes of Cossus tesselatus Moore, 1879), Calcutta, May [18]61, May [18]63, Apr. [18]69 (NHMUK, MfN); 1 female (holotype of Arbela tetraonis Moore, 1879), Bombay (NHMUK); 1 female, Bangladesch, Tschittagong, iv–v.1987 (MSW); 1 male, Ceylon (NHMUK, number specimen 012832510, slide 010315541); 1 female, Ceylon, Dec. [18]93 (NHMUK, number specimen 012832497, slide 010315528); 1 male, Colombo, i.[18]98, Mackwood coll. (NHMUK, number specimen 012832498, slide 010315529); 1 male, Calcutta, 15.iv.1938, D.G. Sevastopulo (NHMUK, number specimen 012832499, slide 010315530); 1 male, Nepal, Rapti Tal, Monakhari Khola, Belwa, 350 m, 8.v.1967, leg. Dierl, Forster & Schacht (ZSM); 1 male, 1 female, S. Indien, Madurai, 18.vii.1985, leg. M. Eckrich (ZSM); 1 male, Himachal Pradesh, Hamirpur, 07.vi.[20]08, leg. P.C. Pathania & A. Seni (NZCZSI); 1 male, Maharashtra, Amravati, 18.ix.2022, leg. Jalil Ahmad (NZCZSI); 1 male, Tamil Nadu, Krishnagiri, Oppathavadi, 10.xii.2021, leg. S. Chand & Party (NZCZSI).
External and morphological variability. Size (see the Redescription of the Genus).
Colour: forewing background variable from light brown to chocolate brown (which in the collectible specimens may depend on the natural pattern fading), in some males line pattern on forewing very dense, almost merging. Similar variability in forewing background colour and density of spotted pattern on forewing in females. Minor variability in sacculus length, depth of incisura in uncus, width of valva, which we interpret as individual variability.
Distribution (Fig. 21): Bangladesh, India (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Bombay, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal), Nepal, Sri Lanka (Walker 1856, 1865; Moore 1879a, b, 1883; Gaede 1933; Sevastopulo 1962; Ali et al. 1996; Yakovlev & Zolotuhin 2020; Chandra et al. 2021; Ahmad et al. 2023; Anonymous 2025). Reported for Pakistan (Arshad & Hafiz 1983; Gul & Chaudhry 1992).
Host plants. It is a known pest of woody vegetation in the region under the name “Bark-Borer”. It has been noted to feed on numerous species of trees: Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae), Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels, Psidium L., Corymbia citriodora (Hook.) K.D. Hill & L.A.S. Johnson, Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. (Myrtaceae), Acacia lenticularis Buch.-Ham. ex Benth., A. nilotica (L.) Delile, A. catechu (L.f.) Willd., Albizia odoratissima (L.f.) Benth., A. lebbeck (L.) Benth., A. procera (Roxb.) Benth., Cassia fistula L., Falcataria falcata (L.) Greuter & R. Rankin, Sesbania cannabina (Retz.) Poir. (Fabaceae), Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl., Prunus domestica L., P. armeniaca L. (Rosaceae), Gmelina arborea Roxb., Tectona grandis L.f. (Lamiaceae), Ziziphus jujube Mill., Z. mauritiana Lamk. (Rhamnaceae), Punica granatum L. (Lythraceae), Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., Morus nigra L., Ficus benghalensis L., F. carica L. (Moraceae), Mangifera L., Anacardium occidentale L. (Anancardiaceae), Citrus limon (L.) Osbeck, C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck, C. reticulata Blanco, 1837, C. × paradise Macfad., Chloroxylon swietenia DC. (Rutaceae), Litchi chinensis Sonn. (Sapindaceae), Phyllanthus emblica L. (Phyllanthaceae), Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze (Theaceae), Grewia asiatica L., Theobroma cacao L. (Malvaceae), Hevea brasiliensis Müll. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae), Manilkara zapota (L.) P. Royen, Mimusops elengi L. (Sapotaceae), Mitragyna parvifolia (Roxb.) Korth (Rubiaceae), Populus L. (Salicaceae), Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.) Wight & Arn. (Combretaceae) (Gardner 1945; Sandhu et al. 1979, 1997; Lal & Singh 1982; Arshad & Hafiz 1983; Teli et al. 1983; Das et al. 1985; Verma 1985; Remadevi 1989; Kumawat & Swaminathan 1990; Mote & Tambe 1990; Baksha 1991; Shevale 1991; Gul & Chaudhry 1992; Kumar 1994; Ali et al. 1996; Mathew 2002; Rao & Prasad 2004; Sasidharan et al. 2010; Plantwise Plus 2022).
Notes
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Linked records
Additional details
Identifiers
Biodiversity
- Collection code
- NHMUK
- Scientific name authorship
- Walker
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Family
- Metarbelidae
- Genus
- Indarbela
- Species
- quadrinotatus
- Taxon rank
- species
- Type status
- holotype
- Taxonomic concept label
- Indarbela quadrinotatus (Walker, 1856) sec. Yakovlev, Hulsbosch, Ahmad & Singh, 2025
References
- Walker, F. (1856) List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part VII. Lepidoptera Heterocera. Printed by order of the Trustees, London, 300 pp. [pp. 1509-1808] https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.58221
- Walker, F. (1865) List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Part XXXII. Supplement Part 2. Printed by order of the Trustees, London, 383 pp. [pp. 323-706] https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.58221
- Pearse, H. (1905) The Hearseys. Five Generations Of An Anglo Indian Family. William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburg and London, 468 pp.
- Moore, F. (1879 a) Family Sphingidae. In: Descriptions of new Indian lepidopterous insects from the collection of the late Mr. W. S. Atkinson. Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, pp. 5-88.
- Moore, F. (1879 b) Descriptions of new Genera and Species of Asiatic Lepidoptera Heterocera. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1879, 387-416. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1879.tb02671.x
- Gaede, M. (1933) 24. Familie: Indarbelidae. In: Seitz, A. (Ed.), Die Gross-Schmetterlinge der Erde. Spinner und Schwarmer des indoaustralischen Gebiets. Bd. 10. Alfred Kernen Verlag, Stuttgart, pp. 803-805.
- Sevastopulo, D. G. (1962) Notes on the Heterocera of Calcutta. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 53, 415-422.
- Ali, M. S., Chaturvedi, O. P., Nair, K. S. S., Sharma, J. K. & Verma, R. V. (1996) Major insect pests of forest trees in north Bihar. In: IUFRO (Eds.), Impact of diseases and insect pests in tropical forest, Proceedings of Symposium, Peechi, India, 23 - 26 November 1993. IUFRO, Peechi, pp. 464-467.
- Yakovlev, R. V. & Zolotuhin, V. V. (2020) Revision of the family Metarbelidae (Lepidoptera) of the Oriental Region. I. Introduction and genera Encaumaptera Hampson 1893, Orgyarbela gen. nov., and Hollowarbela gen. nov. Ecologica Montenegrina, 38, 84-101. https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2020.38.11
- Chandra, K., Singh, L. R. K., Joshi, R. & Gupta, D. (2021) Insecta: Lepidoptera (Moths). In: Faunal Diversity of Biogeographic Zones of India: Semi-Arid. Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, pp. 177-191.
- Ahmad, J., Joshi, R. & Singh, N. (2023) An updated catalogue of Cossoidea (Lepidoptera) from India. Zootaxa, 5330 (3), 301-348. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5330.3.1
- Anonymous (2025) Indarbela tetraonis (Moore, 1879). In: Sondhi, S., Sondhi, Y., Singh, R. P., Roy, P. & Kunte, K. (Eds.), Moths of India. Vol. 3.9. Indian Foundation for Butterflies. Available from: https://www.mothsofindia.org/indarbela-tetraonis (accessed 22 April 2025)
- Arshad, M. & Hafiz, I. A. (1983) Field incidence of Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill., on Indarbela quadrinotata Wlk., Pseudarbelidae: Lepidoptera. Bulletin of Zoology, 1, 11-16.
- Gul, H. & Chaudhry, M. I. (1992) Some observations on natural enemies of poplar borers in Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Forestry, 42 (4), 214-222.
- Gardner, J. C. M. (1945) Immature stages of Indian Lepidoptera. (Cossidae, Indarbelidae). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, 45 (3), 390-396.
- Sandhu, G. S., Sohi, A. S. & Batra, R. C. (1979) Field preference of bark-eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata (Walker) on citrus and guava cultivars. Indian Journal of Entomology, 41 (3), 274-276.
- Lal, H. & Singh, Y. P. (1982) Incidence of bark-eating caterpillar on different loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) cultivars. Science and Culture, 48 (3), 98-100.
- Teli, V. S., Ambekar, J. S. & Chandele, A. G. (1983) Chemical control of bark-eating caterpillar, Inderbela quadrinotata Walker in cashewnut. Pesticides, 17 (6), 20-21.
- Das, S. C., Kakoty, N. N. & Goswami, N. G. (1985) Note on the biology and control of the bark-eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata Wlk., a pest of shade trees in north-east India. Two and a Bud, 32 (1 - 2), 40-41.
- Verma, T. D. (1985) Incidence and chemical control of bark-eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata Walker on plum trees. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 55 (2), 131-132.
- Remadevi, O. K. (1989) Bark eating caterpillar Indarbela quadrinotata (Walker), attacks mulberry too. Newsletter - Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute, Mysore, 4 (3), 4.
- Kumawat, S. R. & Swaminathan, R. (1990) Relative preference of jujube (Zizyphus mauritiana Lamk.) cultivars by bark eating caterpillar Indarbela quadrinotata (Walker). Indian Journal of Entomology, 52 (2), 336-338.
- Mote, U. N. & Tambe, A. B. (1990) Chemical control of bark eating caterpillar Indarbela quadrinotata (Walker) in pomegranate. Plant Protection Bulletin (Faridabad), 42 (3 - 4), 7-8.
- Baksha, M. W. (1991) Incidence of bark-eating caterpillar on moluccana koroi (Paraserianthes falcataria). Bangladesh Journal of Forest Science, 20 (1 / 2), 44-48.
- Shevale, B. S. (1991) Control of bark eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata (Walker) in pomegranate through insecticidal sprays. Plant Protection Bulletin (Faridabad), 43 (3 - 4), 31-32.
- Kumar, S. (1994) A note on an outbreak of Indarbela quadrinotata (Lepidoptera: Indarbelidae) on Gmelina arborea at Kalkajee, New Delhi. Annals of Entomology, 12 (2), 97-98.
- Mathew, G. (2002) Distribution, host range and possible management of Indarbela quadrinotata attacking forest plantations of Paraserianthes falcataria in Kerala, India. FORSPA Publication, 30, 133-138.
- Rao, S. R. K. & Prasad, D. M. (2004) Relative preference of guava by bark eating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata Walk. Journal of Applied Zoological Researches, 15 (1), 66.
- Sasidharan, K. R., Varma, R. V. & Sivaram, M. (2010) Impact of Indarbela quadrinotata on the growth of Casuarina equisetifolia. Indian Forester, 136 (2), 182-186.
- Plantwise Plus Knowledge Bank (2022) Indarbela quadrinotata (bark eating caterpillar) pwkb. species. 51188. CABI International. Available from: https: // plantwiseplusknowledgebank. org / doi / 10.1079/pwkb.species.51188 (accessed 16 June 2025) https://doi.org/10.1079/pwkb.species.51188