Kingdom Animalia Family Pyralidae Genus Laetilia Order Butterflies and moths | Class Insecta Phylum Arthropoda Rank Species | |
 | ||
Similar Butterflies and moths, Homoeosoma electellum, Dactylopius opuntiae | ||
The Scale-feeding Snout Moth (Laetilia coccidivora) is a species of snout moth in the genus Laetilia. It was described by Staudinger in 1870. It is found in the southern United States, including California, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.
The wingspan is 10–17 mm.
The larvae are predatory on Coccidae species. They feed on the eggs and young. It uses carminic acid, acquired from its prey, as a defence against its own predators.
References
Laetilia coccidivora Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA