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.
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
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Verified Sightings
Displaying 289 - 312 of 400 verified sightings
Observation date: May 11, 2015
Submitted by: jjflossem
Region: Hernando County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jun 26, 2015
Observation date: Jun 03, 2015
Submitted by: krancmm
Region: Brazoria County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: Jun 09, 2015
Observation date: May 09, 2015
Submitted by: ddodd
Region: Marshall County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: ddodd
Verified date: Jun 06, 2015
Observation date: Apr 29, 2015
Submitted by: krancmm
Region: Brazoria County, Texas, United States
Verified by: stomlins701
Verified date: May 29, 2015
Observation date: May 11, 2015
Submitted by: treichard
Region: Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: May 28, 2015
Observation date: Apr 19, 2015
Submitted by: ddodd
Region: Marshall County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: ddodd
Verified date: Apr 30, 2015
Observation date: Mar 11, 2015
Submitted by: pomarinejaeger
Region: Pinellas County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Mar 12, 2015
Observation date: Apr 04, 2014
Submitted by: klebo
Region: Clay County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 08, 2015
Observation date: Apr 05, 2014
Submitted by: klebo
Region: Alachua County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Feb 08, 2015
Observation date: Aug 11, 2014
Submitted by: CathK
Region: Albany County, New York, United States
Verified by: reutere
Verified date: Feb 02, 2015
Observation date: Jul 30, 2014
Submitted by: Jim Eckert
Region: Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States
Verified by: Jim Eckert
Verified date: Jan 29, 2015
Observation date: Jun 18, 2013
Submitted by: curtis.lehman (Bill Keim)
Region: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 25, 2015
Observation date: Dec 30, 2014
Submitted by: gldearman
Region: Jefferson County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jan 02, 2015
Observation date: May 02, 2014
Submitted by: Finatic02
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Dec 24, 2014
Observation date: Jul 20, 2014
Submitted by: julmast
Region: Elkhart County, Indiana, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Dec 01, 2014
Observation date: Aug 15, 2014
Submitted by: rdhealy1951@aol.com
Region: Hart County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 25, 2014
Observation date: Aug 13, 2014
Submitted by: rdhealy1951@aol.com
Region: Hart County, Kentucky, United States
Verified by: rogerdowner
Verified date: Nov 25, 2014
Observation date: Oct 26, 2014
Submitted by: ddodd
Region: Marshall County, Alabama, United States
Verified by: ddodd
Verified date: Nov 23, 2014
Observation date: Oct 14, 2014
Submitted by: ridgeboy
Region: Polk County, Florida, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Nov 21, 2014
Observation date: Sep 20, 2014
Submitted by: grayhairstreak
Region: New Castle County, Delaware, United States
Verified by: Ken Childs
Verified date: Sep 23, 2014
Observation date: Aug 23, 2014
Submitted by: Latenight
Region: Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Aug 26, 2014
Observation date: Apr 24, 2014
Submitted by: finatic
Region: San Diego County, California, United States
Verified by: Robert Martin
Verified date: Aug 03, 2014
Observation date: Jun 19, 2014
Submitted by: gary yankech
Region: Ontario, Canada
Verified by: curtis.lehman
Verified date: Jul 21, 2014
Observation date: Jun 29, 2014
Submitted by: Katherine Halley
Region: Dane County, Wisconsin, United States
Verified by: Tom Middagh
Verified date: Jul 16, 2014
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