Adaina simplicius

Adaina simplicius
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pterophoridae
Genus: Adaina
Species: A. simplicius
Binomial name
Adaina simplicius
(Grossbeck, 1917)[1]
Synonyms
  • Pterophorus simplicius Grossbeck, 1917
  • Adaina naiadopa Meyrick, 1931

Adaina simplicius is a moth of the Pterophoridae family. It is found in the United States (including Mississippi[2] and Florida), Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay and Puerto Rico. It was introduced to South Africa for study as a biological control agent for Eupatorium macrocephalum.

The wingspan is about 10 mm. The head is pale yellowish, tinged with brownish especially on the vertex. The thorax is pale straw-yellow. The forewings are very pale straw-yellow, the costa with a few brown scales, a small patch of similarly colored scales on the costa beyond the incision and another near the center of the wing at the incision. A few more brown scales are found on the inner edge of both lobes near the apex. The hindwings are smoky.[3]

The larvae feed on various composites, including Carphephorus odoratissimus, Carphephorus paniculatus, Conoclinium coelestinum and Pluchea odorata.[4] Larvae induce the formation of stem galls on their host plant, feeding and pupating within the galls.[5]

References


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