Laetilia coccidivora

Laetilia coccidivora, the scale-feeding snout moth, is a species of snout moth in the genus Laetilia. It was described by John Henry Comstock in 1879. It is found in the southern United States, including California, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

Laetilia coccidivora
Imago
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pyralidae
Genus: Laetilia
Species:
L. coccidivora
Binomial name
Laetilia coccidivora
(Comstock, 1879)[1]
Synonyms
  • Dakruma coccidivora Comstock, 1879
  • Laetilia cardini Dyar, 1918
  • Atascosa quadricolorella Dyar, 1904

The wingspan is 10–17 mm.[2]

The larvae are predatory on Coccidae species. They feed on the eggs and young. It uses carminic acid, acquired from its prey, as a defense against its own predators.[3]

References
  1. Moth Photographers Group at Mississippi State University
  2. Butterflies and Moths of North America
  3. Bug Guide



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