Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Batrachedridae Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Genus Homaledra | |
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Homaledra heptathalama, the exclamation moth or palm leaf housemaker, is a moth in the Batrachedridae family. It was described by Busck in 1900. It is found in the United States, where it has been recorded from Alabama, Florida and South Carolina.
The wingspan is about 20 mm. The forewings are slender, tapering to a rounded point at apex. They are pale yellowish-brown except for a darker brownish-orange strip along the costa and two white markings in the median area. Adults have been recorded on wing nearly year round.
The larvae feed on the underside of the leaves of Sabal palmetto in a fold, making a chambered shelter of its frass. The larva starts by making a small elongate chamber and adds, as it grows, successively larger, more or less rectangular, thick-walled, communicating rooms. When finished, the structure contains seven to eight chambers.