Acrapex exanimis
Encyclopedia
Acrapex exanimis is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is endemic to Oahu
and Hawaii
.
The wingspan
is about 25 mm.
The larvae feed on Pannicum kaalense and Panicum torridum. They bore the stems of their host plant. The larvae apparently migrate from one stem to another, for in many bored stems with "dead hearts" not enough eating had been done to suffice for the growth of a larva. Full-grown larvae obtained are whitish without markings, with black spiracles and a uniform yellowish or stramineous head. The eyes are black and the thoracic shield is concolourous with the head but paler.
Pupation takes place in a slight cocoon. There is a period of a week or more after the larva finishes eating before pupation takes place. About two weeks were occupied in the pupal stage. The pupa is about 11 mm long, rather slender and quite uniformly pale brown.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is endemic to Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
and Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 25 mm.
The larvae feed on Pannicum kaalense and Panicum torridum. They bore the stems of their host plant. The larvae apparently migrate from one stem to another, for in many bored stems with "dead hearts" not enough eating had been done to suffice for the growth of a larva. Full-grown larvae obtained are whitish without markings, with black spiracles and a uniform yellowish or stramineous head. The eyes are black and the thoracic shield is concolourous with the head but paler.
Pupation takes place in a slight cocoon. There is a period of a week or more after the larva finishes eating before pupation takes place. About two weeks were occupied in the pupal stage. The pupa is about 11 mm long, rather slender and quite uniformly pale brown.