Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Pterophoridae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Adaina | |
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Similar Oidaematophorus eupatorii, Geina periscelidactyla, Hepalastis pumilio, Adaina ambrosiae, Stenoptilodes taprobanes | ||
Adaina simplicius is a moth of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in the United States (including Mississippi and Florida), Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay and Puerto Rico. It was introduced to South Africa for study as a biological control agent for Eupatorium macrocephalum.
The wingspan is about 10 mm. The head is pale yellowish, tinged with brownish especially on the vertex. The thorax is pale straw-yellow. The forewings are very pale straw-yellow, the costa with a few brown scales, a small patch of similarly colored scales on the costa beyond the incision and another near the center of the wing at the incision. A few more brown scales are found on the inner edge of both lobes near the apex. The hindwings are smoky.
The larvae feed on various composites, including Carphephorus odoratissimus, Carphephorus paniculatus, Conoclinium coelestinum and Pluchea odorata. Larvae induce the formation of stem galls on their host plant, feeding and pupating within the galls.