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Crops > Plantation crops > Coconut & oil palm > Insects > Acria or Agonoxena, Sabah, Malaysia
October 2007. A problem has occurred in Sabah, Malaysia, with an outbreak of caterpillars in oil palm. The damage is on the lower fronds, so it is difficult to control using trunk injections with systemic chemicals, which are only effective for middle and upper fronds. It was doubtful that it was Opisina sp.
There were two suggestions: Agonoxenaargaula (coconut flat moth), although Acria sp. was also suggested from similarity to a pest of oil palm in India. Images of Agonoxena argaula taken on Rarotonga, Cook Islands, were sent for comparison (lower, right).
