About Earias insulana (Boisduval, 1833)
Earias insulana, commonly known as the Egyptian stemborer, Egyptian bollworm, spiny bollworm, or cotton spotted bollworm, is a moth species belonging to the family Nolidae. This species was first formally described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1833. It is distributed across most of Africa, southern Europe, the Near East, the Middle East, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia, and Hawaii. It occurs only as a rare immigrant in Great Britain. Adult moths have a wingspan of 20–22 mm. Full-grown larvae reach 13–18 mm in length, while adults of the species generally have an overall wingspan of approximately 24–28 mm. Earias insulana can be misidentified as Earias clorana (the cream-bordered green pea) or Earias biplaga (the spiny bollworm). Pupation of this species occurs inside a felt-like cocoon, which attaches to the dry leaves of the host food plant or to plant debris lying on the ground. The pupal stage typically lasts 9–15 days, but can extend to up to two months when low temperatures slow development.
