Plantation-pests
Guides
Dasychira
tussock moths
Dasychira is a genus of tussock moths in the family Erebidae, established by Jacob Hübner in 1809. The genus has a broad geographic distribution spanning Africa, Europe, North America, Madagascar, Japan, China, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Java, and Australia. Several species are economically significant as defoliating pests of cultivated plants including oil palm, tea, and black wattle, with some species capable of outbreak population dynamics. The genus is characterized by distinctive morphological features including porrect palpi with heavily haired second joints and sexually dimorphic antennae.