Lantanophaga pusillidactylus

Lantanophaga pusillidactylus (Walker, 1864)
(one synonym : Platyptilia lantana)
PTEROPHORIDAE

Don Herbison-Evans ( donherbisonevans@yahoo.com )
and
Debbie Matthews Lott & Stella Crossley

(updated 21 June 2009)

These Caterpillars are buff with dark brown heads. They were introduced from Mexico into Hawaii in 1902, and later into Australia to control

Lantana ( Lantana camara, VERBENACEAE ).

It has also been reported to feed on many other plants in VERBENACEAE including:

Indian Lantana ( Lantana indica ),

Buttonsage ( Lantana involucrata ),

Galapagos Lantana ( Lantana peduncularis ),

Santa Maria ( Lippia alba ), and

Fogfruit ( Phyla lanceolata ),

as well as plants in other families such as:

Sacatropo ( Caperonia palustris, EUPHORBIACEAE ),

Spearmint ( Mentha spicata, LAMIACEAE ), and

Bladderwort ( Utricularia species, LENTIBULARIACEAE ).

Pupa, showing scale of 0.5 mm.

Lantanophaga pusillidactylus
(Specimen: courtesy of the The Australian Museum)

The adult moth has two lobes to each forewing, and three lobes to each hindwing. The wings are brown with dark markings. The moth has a wingspan of about 1 cm.

(Picture: courtesy of CSIRO Entomology)

The species originated in the West Indies and the south-west of North America. It now occurs wherever Lantana grows, in the tropics and subtropics all around the world, including Africa and India, and now Australia.