Ithome concolorella
Encyclopedia
The Kiawe Flower Moth is a species of moth
of the Cosmopterigidae
family. It is found in the southern United States
, including Texas
, southern Arizona
and Florida
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
, where it has been recorded from Kauai
, Oahu
, Maui
, Hawaii
and Molokai
.
The wingspan
is about 8 mm.
The larvae are a pest of the flowers of Prosopis chilensis and Acacia farnesiana in Hawaii.
surface of the bud at the site of oviposition. The eggs hatch in 3-5 days. The larvae has a brown head and the remainder of the body is white to pale yellow. The first instar larva usually feeds on the pistil, then on the stamens. It remains in the bud in which the egg was laid throughout the first instar. The second instar larva also usually remains in the initial bud but it may bore into an adjacent bud. Subsequently, as the larva develops, it bores into other florets, eating the inner parts of them. The damaged florets are joined together near the entrance holes. Often as many as 15 florets are joined together in a row, forming a tunnel in which a fully grown larva may be found.
The larva spins a silken cocoon within which it pupates. The pupa is almost white at first, turning brown soon after, and almost black when the adult is ready to emerge. When the larva is ready to pupate it probably comes out of the florets and drops to the ground to pupate.
The adult moth is usually nocturnal.
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 Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera order. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds, stems, etc of their host plants. There are about 1,500 described species...
family. It is found in the southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, southern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It is an introduced species in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where it has been recorded from Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, 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...
, Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
and Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
.
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 8 mm.
The larvae are a pest of the flowers of Prosopis chilensis and Acacia farnesiana in Hawaii.
Life history
The egg is inserted into the flower. Usually a light brown spot develops on the externalsurface of the bud at the site of oviposition. The eggs hatch in 3-5 days. The larvae has a brown head and the remainder of the body is white to pale yellow. The first instar larva usually feeds on the pistil, then on the stamens. It remains in the bud in which the egg was laid throughout the first instar. The second instar larva also usually remains in the initial bud but it may bore into an adjacent bud. Subsequently, as the larva develops, it bores into other florets, eating the inner parts of them. The damaged florets are joined together near the entrance holes. Often as many as 15 florets are joined together in a row, forming a tunnel in which a fully grown larva may be found.
The larva spins a silken cocoon within which it pupates. The pupa is almost white at first, turning brown soon after, and almost black when the adult is ready to emerge. When the larva is ready to pupate it probably comes out of the florets and drops to the ground to pupate.
The adult moth is usually nocturnal.