Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Crambidae Scientific name Elophila obliteralis | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Elophila Rank Species | |
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Similar Elophila, Elophila gyralis, Elophila icciusalis, Parapoynx, Eustixia | ||
The Waterlily Leafcutter Moth (Elophila obliteralis) is a moth of the Crambidae family. It is native to eastern North America. It is an introduced species in Hawaii and South Africa.
The wingspan is 10–22 mm with the male being smaller than the female. Adults are on wing from May to August in North America.
The larvae feed on a wide range of aquatic plants, including Hydrilla verticillata, Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Nymphaea and Potamogeton species. At birth, larvae have a longitudinal tracheal system and some long simple hairs but does not later acquire filamentous gills. It forms a case of leaf debris. The larvae are about 9 mm long and have a pale brown head and a dull pallid green body.
References
Elophila obliteralis Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA