What's this on my bananas?

[(Martin Honey)]

Re: PLEASE HELP IDENTIFY
>
>I bought a bunch of bannanas, in Morrisons (Chorley) today (Del Monte
>brand)
>
>There is a cocoon/egg attached to the centre of the bunch.
>
>It is oval shaped.
>
>15mm long
>
>10mm dia
>
>Brown in colour and fastened by what looks like a mucose covered silk webb.
>
>Any ideas

There has already been a response to this saying that it is possibly a 
species of limacodid. This is certainly possible as I know of one specimen 
of a species called Phobetron hipparchia that was recently reported in the 
UK and has also been reported in Sweden on bananas (see below for 
reference). Another possible and quite likely culprit is one of several 
species of the genus Antichloris (Ctenuchidae). They are regularly found 
on imported bananas here in the UK and elsewhere in the world. There's a 
recent report of some from the Faroe Islands in the Entomologist's Gazette 
48: 84 and another on species imported into Sweden in Ent. Tidskr. 117: 123-
124, a couple are also mentioned in some of the British literature, eg. 
Moths & Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland vol. 9: 111, etc.. The 
ctenuchids are a bit difficult to determine but it's usually only one of 
three species, all of which are dull or iridescent green, A. viridis, A. 
caca or A. eriphia. 

Martin

******************************************************************
Martin R. Honey, Linnaean Butterfly Project, Biodiversity Division,
Department of Entomology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road,
LONDON, SW7 5BD, Great Britain.
TELEPHONE: 0171 938 8735    International  +44 171 938 8745
FAX:       0171 938 8937    International  +44 171 938 8937
EMAIL:     M.Honey at nhm.ac.uk
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