Fairytale of Ackthale!

Many times I have got into trouble due to my habit of bringing insects home. © Mallikarjuna.D.G. Once in our farm I saw some insects feeding on Mango leaves. They were caterpillars. I was certain that these caterpillars will definitely transform into butterflies. Due to curiosity of watching the metamorphosis I brought home these caterpillars along with some Mango leaves to feed them. I kept them in a box. © Mallikarjuna.D.G. While bringing home one caterpillar fell on my hand. Immediately my hand started burning and itching. All my family members had the taste of itching and started cursing me!! It is the defence mechanism of this caterpillar. Next day I showed this caterpillar to Narasimhaiah, who has the farm next to ours. He said,”It’s name is ‘Ackthale’. Spray some pesticide and kill them. Otherwise you cannot pluck mangoes from the tree”. ‘Ackthale’ is a Telugu word. ‘Ack’ means ‘leaf’ and ‘thale’ means ‘Scorpion’. It’s literally Scorpion on the leaves. © Mallikarjuna.D.G. Inside the box, after feeding enough the caterpillar started spinning a cocoon and concealed itself inside it. This is the nature of Moth. Moth is an insect closely related to the Butterfly. Both are of the order Lepidoptera. Most species of moths are nocturnal, but there are crepuscular and diurnal species. © Mallikarjuna.D.G. After few days a green coloured moth came out of the pupa. Edges of its wings are brownish in color. I photographed it and released at night. After searching in the books I found that its name is “Smaller Parasa”. Its scientific name is “Parasa Chloris”. © Mallikarjuna.D.G. Moths, and more particularly their caterpillars are a major agricultural pests in many parts of the world. Few moths like silk moths are economical. Even though moths don’t have color and other features like butterflies, they are beautiful in their own way. But we are unable to see them as they are nocturnal. Come let us enjoy their beauty along with the itching they give us!! Viewed 2216 Times | Comments (0)

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