The natural enemies of star anise are birds. Illuminosa belongs to the family Lepidoptera and is the larvae of the green thorn moth. Commonly found in jujube trees, toon trees, plum trees, willow trees and some low shrubs. The larvae feed on the mesophyll, leaving only the epidermis and veins. There are poisonous hairs on the body, which will cause pain and unbearable itching when sticking to the body. They need to be soaked in warm water, soapy water or salt water.

Illustration: The adult body length is 15-18mm, the wingspan is 31-39mm, and the whole body is earthy brown to gray brown, light green, and flower color. There are 1 dark brown arc-shaped transverse line on the front edge of the forewing from nearly 3 places to near the shoulder angle and near the hip angle. The inner side of the two lines is lined with a shadow-like band. The outer transverse line is more vertical. The outer copper spot is not clear, only at the hip angle. It is trapezoidal. Female moths have lighter body color and markings than male moths. The eggs are flat, oval, yellow, and translucent. The larvae are 35mm long, yellow, with a sky-blue dorsal line. Each segment has a pair of black spots before and after the dorsal line. Each sub-dorsal segment has a pair of protrusions, of which the metathorax and 1, 5, 8, and 9 abdominal segments have the largest protrusions. . Cocoon is grayish brown, oval. Adults are common in May, July and September. Has phototaxis. Each female lays more than 300 eggs, densely packed on the back of the leaves. The egg stage lasts 7-10 days. The larval stage lasts for more than 30 days, and it forms a cocoon in the soil. Generally, the pupal stage lasts for more than 7-20 days, and the last cocoon overwinters.