Kingdom Animalia Family Crambidae Genus Herpetogramma Order Butterflies and moths | Class Insecta Phylum Arthropoda Rank Species | |
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Similar Herpetogramma, Butterflies and moths, Herpetogramma bipunctalis, Hymenia perspectalis, Herpetogramma aeglealis | ||
Herpetogramma phaeopteralis, the dusky herpetogramma or tropical sod webworm, is a moth in the Crambidae family. It was described by Guenée in 1854. It is found in the United States (from South Carolina to Florida, west to Texas), Central America and South America, on the Andamans, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, La Réunion, Madagascar, Mauritius, Saint Helena, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Gambia, Yemen and Zambia.
The wingspan is about 18 mm. The forewings are medium to dark greyish-brown with blackish antemedial and postmedial lines and two dark spots in the median area. The hindwings are similar but slightly paler.
The larvae feed on the leaves of grasses. Full-grown larvae reach a length of 25 mm. They have a greyish-green or yellowish-green body and a brown head.