Omiodes scotaea
Encyclopedia
Omiodes scotaea is a moth
of the Crambidae
family. It is endemic to Oahu
, Molokai
and Hawaii
.
The larvae feed on Astelia veratroides. They feed between the leaves of the crown of their host plant. They eat the surface and substance of the leaf, leaving the opposite epidermis, which shows as dead portions of the leaves. In some small plants, they bore down into the stem from where they had been feeding between the leaves in the middle of the crown of the plant. Full-grown larvae are about 27 mm long and bright green if they have been feeding on the greener leaves and paler if they have fed in the inner part of the crown where there is very little chlorophyll in the leaves.
The pupa is 12 mm long and uniform pale brown. The pupal period lasts 11-12 days.
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...
of 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 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...
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...
.
The larvae feed on Astelia veratroides. They feed between the leaves of the crown of their host plant. They eat the surface and substance of the leaf, leaving the opposite epidermis, which shows as dead portions of the leaves. In some small plants, they bore down into the stem from where they had been feeding between the leaves in the middle of the crown of the plant. Full-grown larvae are about 27 mm long and bright green if they have been feeding on the greener leaves and paler if they have fed in the inner part of the crown where there is very little chlorophyll in the leaves.
The pupa is 12 mm long and uniform pale brown. The pupal period lasts 11-12 days.