| Ardices canescens | |
|---|---|
| Female imago | |
| Larva | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
| Genus: | Ardices |
| Species: | A. canescens |
| Binomial name | |
| Ardices canescens Butler, 1875 | |
| Synonyms | |
Spilosoma canescens(Butler, 1875) | |
Ardices canescens, the dark-spotted tiger moth or light ermine moth, is a moth in the family Erebidae that is found across most of Australia. It originally was included in the genus Spilosoma, but later the generic status of Ardices was proven.[1]
The larvae are polyphagous,[2] and are known to feed on Bidens pilosa, Helianthus annuus, Taraxacum officinale, Ipomoea batatas, Alcea rosea, Rosa odorata, Plantago,[3]Ricinus communis and Tradescantia albiflora.[2] The polyembryonic parasitoid wasp Copidosoma floridanum sometimes uses this species of caterpillar as a host.[4]