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We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America online and freely available.
If everyone who uses this resource gives a small amount, we could cover our ongoing costs, develop new features, and upgrade the system.
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Waterlily Leafcutter Moth
Elophila obliteralis (Walker, 1859)
Family: Crambidae
Subfamily: Acentropinae
Identification: Sexually dimorphic. Male smaller and more broad-winged than female. Wings grayish brown, with dark brown shading and whitish lines. Reniform spot a whitish crescent. In female, the light areas are paler than in male. Female also less sharply marked.
Wing Span: 1-2.2 cm.
Life History:
Flight: May - August.
Caterpillar Hosts: White water lily, pondweed (illinoiensis and americanensis), water stargrass (Heteranthera), duckweed, Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata), Waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Waterlettuce (Pistia stratiotes), and 60+ other aquatic plant species.
Adult Food:
Habitat:
Range: Common throughout eastern North America.
Conservation:
NCGR:
Management Needs: A minor pest of aquatic ornamentals and sometimes a problem in greenhouses.
Comments:
Taxonomy Notes: genus Synclita changed to Elophila as per Hugh McGuinness 8/2009. Source: Munroessa was synonymized, along with Synclita, by Goater, Nuss and Speidel in Microlepidoptera of Europe, Vol. 4. Pyraloidea I. 2005.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Synclita obliteralis
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 272 verified sightings

Observation date: Aug 24, 2020
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Aug 25, 2020

Observation date: Aug 15, 2020
Submitted by: klebo
Region: Montgomery County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 18, 2020

Observation date: Jul 19, 2020
Submitted by: Stephen G.
Region: Jackson County, Missouri, United States
Verified by: Stephen G.
Verified date: Aug 09, 2020

Observation date: Jul 25, 2020
Submitted by: Betsy Higgins
Region: Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Aug 09, 2020

Observation date: Jul 22, 2020
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Jul 25, 2020

Observation date: Jul 21, 2020
Submitted by: Pheasantboy77
Region: Lewis County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Jul 22, 2020

Observation date: Jul 17, 2020
Submitted by: David Trently
Region: Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 19, 2020

Observation date: Jul 07, 2020
Submitted by: tirvine2020
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 15, 2020

Observation date: Jun 02, 2020
Submitted by: Stephen G.
Region: Benton County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: Stephen G.
Verified date: Jul 12, 2020

Observation date: Jul 05, 2020
Submitted by: tirvine2020
Region: Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 07, 2020

Observation date: Jul 05, 2020
Submitted by: Don Marotte
Region: Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jul 05, 2020

Observation date: Jun 30, 2020
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jul 02, 2020

Observation date: Jun 27, 2020
Submitted by: elopm
Region: Johnson County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 29, 2020

Observation date: Jun 03, 2020
Submitted by: reupurtbones
Region: Warren County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 16, 2020

Observation date: May 26, 2020
Submitted by: NNing
Region: Geauga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 31, 2020

Observation date: May 02, 2020
Submitted by: Stephen G.
Region: Benton County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: Stephen G.
Verified date: May 05, 2020

Observation date: Sep 18, 2019
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 30, 2020

Observation date: Jul 18, 2019
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 28, 2020

Observation date: Jul 05, 2019
Submitted by: Reiner Jakubowski
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Mar 27, 2020

Observation date: Feb 24, 2020
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Feb 27, 2020

Observation date: Jun 24, 2019
Submitted by: dmccord
Region: Hamilton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jan 31, 2020

Observation date: Aug 28, 2019
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Karen and Gary Campbell)
Region: Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 05, 2020

Observation date: Jun 18, 2019
Submitted by: Sue Gregoire
Region: Schuyler County, New York, United States
Verified by: Sue Gregoire
Verified date: Dec 11, 2019

Observation date: Jul 15, 2019
Submitted by: NNing
Region: Geauga County, Ohio, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 25, 2019
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