Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Family Pyralidae Scientific name Rhynchephestia rhabdotis | Phylum Arthropoda Order Lepidoptera Species R. rhabdotis Rank Genus | |
Rhynchephestia rhabdotis is a moth of the Pyralidae family. It is endemic to Maui.
The larvae feed on Argyroxiphium sandwicense macrocephalum. They feed in the flower heads, destroying the seeds. In the seasons when there are no flowers they feed in the stem and among or at the bases of the leaves which are densely crowded together. The larvae are subject to a fungus which kills a large proportion of them.
References
Rhynchephestia Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA