We suspect that the caterpillars that attacked plants in Probolinggo are of the genus arctonis sp family (winged moth with brown color) and of the lymantria sp family (winged moth with stripped brown color)
Jember (ANTARA News) - Several academics majoring in plant pest discipline at the agricultural faculty (Faperta) of Jember University (Unej), East Java, are sending samples of caterpillars to the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) in Jakarta, a lecturer said.

Unej lecturer Hari Purnomo said here on Sunday that the expert team of the Unej had found two species of caterpillars in a mango plantation in Probolinggo, one of the districts in East Java which had been plagued by caterpillars over the past several days.

"We suspect that the caterpillars that attacked plants in Probolinggo are of the genus arctonis sp family (winged moth with brown color) and of the lymantria sp family (winged moth with stripped brown color)," Hari who is also a pest expert said.

On Thursday, five Unej lecturers who are plant pest experts, namely Hari Purnomo, Nanang Tri Hariadi, Saifudin Hasyim, Wagino and Suharto, conducted an observation on the population explosion of caterpillars in Probolinggo district, East Java.

"We were taking a number of cocoon samples of the creeping hairy creatures, adult moths and a number of predators usually preying on caterpillars. Some of the samples are to be sent to LIPI," Hari said.

He said that the caterpillars which attacked a number of subdistricts in Probolinggo belonged to moth family (lymantriidae), a kind of butterfly which commonly was active and laid eggs at night time.

A number of districts in East Java have during past few days been plagued by sudden caterpillar (desiciria inclusa) population explosions. People`s mango trees, orchards and houses were invaded by uncountable numbers of the creeping hairy creatures.

Experts said the caterpillars would in due course of time change into cocoons and eventually into butterflies but they also warned that the attacks could recur.

The caterpillar invasion at first happened in Probolinggo district but it later spread to other districts in East Java such as Pasuruan, Jombang, Banyuwangi, Bojonegoro, even to certain districts in Central and West Java. (*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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