The Red slug caterpillar (Eterusia aedea) is a species of moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 in the Zygaenidae

Zygaenidae

The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. There are about 1000 species. Various species are commonly known as Burnet or Forester moths, often qualified by the number of spots,...

 family. It is found in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is about 50 mm for males and 56 mm for females.

The larvae have been recorded feeding on a wide range of plants, including Bischofia javanica

Bischofia javanica

Bischofia javanica is a plant species of the family Phyllanthaceae. It and the related B. polycarpa are the only two members of genus and tribe...

, Aporosa lindleyana, Aporosa villosa, Cornus florida, Lagerstroemia, Melastoma candidum, Myrica rubra

Myrica rubra

Myrica rubra, also called yangmei , yamamomo , Chinese Bayberry, Japanese Bayberry, Red Bayberry,Yumberry, or Chinese strawberry tree is a subtropical tree grown for its sweet, crimson to dark purple-red, edible fruit.- Description :It is a small to medium-sized evergreen tree...

, Sloanea formosana, Rhododendron

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...

, Symplocos glauca, Camellia

Camellia

Camellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...

(including Camellia japonica

Camellia japonica

The Japanese Camellia is one of the best known species of camellia. Sometimes called the rose of winter, it is a member of the Theaceae family or tea family. It is a flowering shrub or a small tree native to Japan, Korea and China. It is the official state flower of Alabama.-Description:In the...

, Camellia sasanqua

Camellia sasanqua

The Christmas Camellia is a species of Camellia native to the evergreen coastal forests of southern Japan in Shikoku, Kyūshū and many other minor islands as far south as Okinawa. It is usually found growing up to an altitude of 900 metres.It is an evergreen shrub growing to 5 m tall...

, Camellia sinensis

Camellia sinensis

Camellia sinensis is the species of plant whose leaves and leaf buds are used to produce Chinese tea. It is of the genus Camellia , a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. White tea, green tea, oolong, pu-erh tea and black tea are all harvested from this species, but are processed...

, Camellia oleifera

Camellia oleifera

Camellia oleifera, which originated in China, is notable as an important source of edible oil obtained from its seeds...

), Eurya japonica

Eurya japonica

Eurya japonica is an ornamental plant in the Theaceae family.-External links:* * :Flavon's Wild herb and Alpine plants...

, Eurya septata, Cleyera japonica and Buddleja

Buddleja

Buddleja, often misspelled Buddleia but commonly known as the Butterfly Bush, is a genus of flowering plants. The generic name bestowed by Linnaeus honours the Reverend Adam Buddle , a botanist and rector in Essex, England, but who could never have seen a plant of the genus.-Classification:The...

. The larvae of ssp. aedea, sinica, formosana, cingala and virescens have been reported as pests on tea.

Subspecies

• Eterusia aedea aedea (Bangladesh, India)
• Eterusia aedea sinica Ménétriés, 1857 (China)
• Eterusia aedea cingala Moore, 1877 (Sri Lanka)
• Eterusia aedea virescens (Butler, 1881) (southern India)
• Eterusia aedea formosana Jordan, 1907 (Taiwan)
• Eterusia aedea sugitanii Matsumura, 1927 (Japan: Okinoshima)
• Eterusia aedea micromaculata Inoue, 1982 (Japan: Tokara Islands)
• Eterusia aedea tomokunii Owada, 1989 (Japan: Amami-oshima)
• Eterusia aedea sakaguchii Matsumura, 1927 (Japan: Okinawa Island)
• Eterusia aedea okinawana Matsumura, 1931 (Japan: Ishigaki Island)
• Eterusia aedea masatakasatoi Owada, 2001 (Japan: Nakanoshima Island)
• Eterusia aedea hamajii Owada, 2001 (Japan: Tokunoshima Island)
• Eterusia aedea azumai Owada, 2001 (Japan: Kumejima Island)