Omiodes blackburni
Encyclopedia
The Coconut leafroller is a species of moth
in the Crambidae
family. It is endemic to Kauai
, Oahu
, Molokai
, Maui
, Lanai
and Hawaii
.
Recorded food plants include Cocos nucifera
, but it occasionally also feeds on Pritchardia
(including Pritchardia pacifica
), banana and introduced palms.
Young larvae feed gregariously on the under side of the leaf of their host plant, protected by a thin web of silk. At first they eat the substance of the leaf and leave the opposite epidermis. They soon scatter more or less, and make hiding places by fastening together the lower edges of coconut leaflets, often several caterpillars can be found in the same place. As they become slightly larger, they eat the whole substance, eating from the edge, and not leaving
the epidermis. When the leaflet is mostly eaten, they migrate to other leaflets. Larvae are full-grown in about four weeks from hatching. Full-grown larvae are 32-35 mm long and dull greenish, with two dorsal whitish lines.
Pupation takes place in a slight cocoon
in the caterpillar's retreat. The pupa
is 15-19 mm long and light to dark brown according. The pupal period lasts 11-13 days.
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...
in the Crambidae
Crambidae
The Crambidae are the grass moth family of Lepidoptera . They are quite variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae taking up closely folded postures on grass-stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in...
family. It is endemic to 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...
, 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...
, 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,...
, Lanai
Lanai
Lānai or Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānai City, a small settlement....
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...
.
Recorded food plants include Cocos nucifera
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, but it occasionally also feeds on Pritchardia
Pritchardia
The genus Pritchardia consists of between 24-40 species of fan palms found on tropical Pacific Ocean islands in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuamotus, and Hawaii. The generic name honours William Thomas Pritchard , a British consul at Fiji.-Description:These palms vary in height, ranging from...
(including Pritchardia pacifica
Pritchardia pacifica
Pritchardia pacifica is a tree from the Arecaceae family, native to Tonga now also found elsewhere including in Fiji and Samoa. Commonly known as the Fiji fan palm after one of its uses, it can grow to a height of ten metres. The flowers are of a yellow green colour and the fruits are brown....
), banana and introduced palms.
Young larvae feed gregariously on the under side of the leaf of their host plant, protected by a thin web of silk. At first they eat the substance of the leaf and leave the opposite epidermis. They soon scatter more or less, and make hiding places by fastening together the lower edges of coconut leaflets, often several caterpillars can be found in the same place. As they become slightly larger, they eat the whole substance, eating from the edge, and not leaving
the epidermis. When the leaflet is mostly eaten, they migrate to other leaflets. Larvae are full-grown in about four weeks from hatching. Full-grown larvae are 32-35 mm long and dull greenish, with two dorsal whitish lines.
Pupation takes place in a slight cocoon
Cocoon
Cocoon may refer to:*Cocoon , a pupal casing made by moth caterpillars and other insect larvae*Apache Cocoon, web development software*Cocoon , a 1985 science fiction film**Cocoon: The Return, 1988 sequel to Cocoon...
in the caterpillar's retreat. The pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...
is 15-19 mm long and light to dark brown according. The pupal period lasts 11-13 days.