The Lilac pyralid is a 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...

 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 found in eastern eastern Asia, including Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

, Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and the Russian Far East

Russian Far East

Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...

.

The wingspan

Wingspan

The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...

 is 29-31 mm. Adults are on wing from April to October. Adults are on wing from late March to early April, from mid May to early June and from early September to mid November in Japan. There are three generations per year.

The larvae feed on the flowers, fruits and leaves of Ligustrum

Ligustrum

Ligustrum is a genus of about forty species of erect, deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes forming small or medium-sized trees. They are now all known by the common name of privet.-Selected species:...

species, including Ligustrum japonicum

Ligustrum japonicum

Ligustrum japonicum is a species of Ligustrum native to central and southern Japan and Korea....

and Ligustrum lucidum

Ligustrum lucidum

Ligustrum lucidum is a species of privet native to the southern half of China.-Growth:It is the largest species in the genus, growing as a tree up to 25 m tall...

. They have also been recorded on Fraxinus mandschurica

Fraxinus mandschurica

Fraxinus mandschurica is a species of Fraxinus native to northeastern Asia in northern China, Korea, Japan and southeastern Russia.Also Known as 'Chinese Oak'....

. First-instar larvae occur three times per year in Japan (in late April to early May, mid to late September and early to mid October).