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 291 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 12, 2021
Submitted by: JamieLynn
Region: Richmond County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Jun 13, 2021
Observation date: May 17, 2021
Submitted by: jnchandler
Region: Aiken County, South Carolina, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Jun 12, 2021
Observation date: May 25, 2021
Submitted by: Ilona L.
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: May 28, 2021
Observation date: May 09, 2021
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Coffee County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: May 17, 2021
Observation date: Aug 14, 2016
Submitted by: pbedell
Region: Chesterfield County, Virginia, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 22, 2021
Observation date: Aug 23, 2020
Submitted by: astridl
Region: DuPage County, Illinois, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Apr 18, 2021
Observation date: Mar 27, 2021
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Apr 02, 2021
Observation date: Aug 04, 2018
Submitted by: klebo
Region: Berrien County, Michigan, United States
Verified by: Mark Wheeler
Verified date: Feb 03, 2021
Observation date: Jul 28, 2020
Submitted by: MarkNenadov
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 26, 2021
Observation date: Jul 17, 2019
Submitted by: BarbSendelbach
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Dec 09, 2020
Observation date: Aug 15, 2020
Submitted by: Christine Stanke
Region: Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Dec 07, 2020
Observation date: Jun 06, 2020
Submitted by: Stephen G.
Region: Benton County, Arkansas, United States
Verified by: Stephen G.
Verified date: Dec 06, 2020
Observation date: Aug 25, 2020
Submitted by: Ilona L.
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Nov 21, 2020
Observation date: Jul 20, 2020
Submitted by: Ilona L.
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Ilona L.
Verified date: Nov 21, 2020
Observation date: Jun 07, 2018
Submitted by: wade wander
Region: Sussex County, New Jersey, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 14, 2020
Observation date: Jun 26, 2020
Submitted by: JMJaskula
Region: Newton County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Oct 18, 2020
Observation date: Oct 03, 2020
Submitted by: Mikelchap
Region: Glynn County, Georgia, United States
Verified by: Mikelchap
Verified date: Oct 07, 2020
Observation date: Aug 29, 2020
Submitted by: rapids
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 29, 2020
Observation date: Sep 24, 2020
Submitted by: Eddie Wyatt
Region: York County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Sep 25, 2020
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
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