Rhynchephestia
Encyclopedia
Rhynchephestia rhabdotis is a moth
of the Pyralidae
family. It is endemic to Maui
.
The larvae feed on Argyroxiphium sandwicense macrocephalum
. They feed in the flower heads, destroying the seeds. In the seasons when there are no flowers they feed in the stem and among or at the bases of the leaves which are densely crowded together. The larvae are subject to a fungus which kills a large proportion of them.
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 Pyralidae
Pyralidae
The Pyralidae or snout moths are a family of Lepidoptera in the ditrysian superfamily Pyraloidea. In many classifications, the grass moths are included in the Pyralidae as a subfamily, making the combined group one of the largest families in the Lepidoptera...
family. It is endemic to 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,...
.
The larvae feed on Argyroxiphium sandwicense macrocephalum
Argyroxiphium sandwicense
The plant species Argyroxiphium sandwicense is a kind of silversword. It is endemic to Hawaii. There are two subspecies which are separated by geography. Both subspecies are rare, threatened, and federally protected....
. They feed in the flower heads, destroying the seeds. In the seasons when there are no flowers they feed in the stem and among or at the bases of the leaves which are densely crowded together. The larvae are subject to a fungus which kills a large proportion of them.