Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Crambidae | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera | |
Genus Laniifera
Hampson, 1899 | ||
Laniifera is a genus of moths of the Crambidae family. It contains only one species, Laniifera cyclades, which is found in Mexico and the United States, where it has been recorded from Arizona and Florida.
The wingspan is about 40 mm. The forewings are fawn, but black at the base and clouded with blackish-grey from the middle almost to the outer margin, with a narrow waved black line, edged with greyish-white on the inner side, crossing the wing before the middle. There is a submarginal zigzag greyish-black line, edged with white on the outer side, extending from the costal margin near the apex to the inner margin near the anal angle, and a round white spot in the cell and an elongate spot at the end of it, both edged with black. The hindwings are pearly-white, the marginal line fawn. Adults are on wing from July to September.
The larvae feed on Opuntia species and are considered a pest.