Hyposmocoma ekaha
Hyposmocoma ekaha is a species of moth of the family Cosmopterigidae. It was first described by Otto Herman Swezey in 1910. It is endemic to the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The type locality is the Halawa Valley.
| Hyposmocoma ekaha | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Cosmopterigidae |
| Genus: | Hyposmocoma |
| Species: | H. ekaha |
| Binomial name | |
| Hyposmocoma ekaha Swezey, 1910 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The larvae feed on Asplenium nidus.
This moth occurs wherever the fern is found in the mountain valleys of Oahu. The larvae feed on the under surface of the frond, leaving the upper epidermis intact, which dries and gives the frond the appearance of having numerous dead patches. The older larvae also bore into the rachis, and each has a tunnel of silk and frass extending out onto the frond to its feeding place. It apparently hides in the bored rachis except when out feeding
— Otto Herman Swezey, 1954:86
External links
- Zimmerman, Elwood C. (1978). Insects of Hawaii. Vol. 9 Microlepidoptera. The University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu. hdl:10125/7338.
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