Omiodes continuatalis is a species of moth

Moth

A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

 in the Crambidae

Crambidae

The Crambidae are the grass moth family of Lepidoptera . They are quite variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae taking up closely folded postures on grass-stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in...

 family. It is endemic to Kauai

Kauai

Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...

, Oahu

Oahu

Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...

, Molokai

Molokai

Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...

, Maui

Maui

The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...

, Lanai

Lanai

Lānai or Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānai City, a small settlement....

 and Hawaii

Hawaii (island)

The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...

. It was first cited as possibly extinct by Gagné & Howarth in 1982. It was listed as extinct by the Hawai‘i Biological Survey in 2002 and the IUCN in 2003, but was rediscovered later in 2003.
The larvae feed on various native and non-native grasses, including Heteropogon contortus

Heteropogon contortus

Heteropogon contortus is a tropical, perennial tussock grass with a native distribution encompassing Southern Africa, southern Asia, Northern Australia and Oceania. The species has also become a naturalised weed in tropical and subtropical regions in the Americas and East Asia. The plant grows to ...

and Paspalum conjugatum. The larvae hide among the mass of dead leaves at the base of the tufts of grass and feed on the lowermost accessible green leaves instead of feeding on upper leaves and hiding in a rolled up leaf, as several of the other species of Omiodes

Omiodes

Omiodes is a moth genus in the family Crambidae . Several species are endemic to Hawaii.-Species:*Omiodes accepta *Omiodes albicilialis...

. Full-grown larvae are 28-30 mm long and testaceous-green, with a rosy tinge.

The pupa is formed in a slight cocoon in the same place that the caterpillar used as a retreat. It is 13-15 mm long and very dark brown. The pupal period lasts 12-15 days.

Source

• Haines, W.P. 2004. Omiodes continuatalis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 31 July 2007.
• Insects of Hawaii. Volume 8, Pyraloidea
• Rediscovery of five species of Omiodes Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on Hawai‘i Island