Lymire edwardsii

Lymire edwardsii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Erebidae
Subfamily:	Arctiinae
Genus:	Lymire
Species:	L. edwardsii
Binomial name
Lymire edwardsii (Grote, 1881)
Synonyms
Scepsis edwardsii Grote, 1881

Lymire edwardsii, the rubber tree caterpillar or Edwards' wasp moth, is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by Augustus Radcliffe Grote in 1881. It is found in southern Florida, United States.

The wingspan is 35–40 mm. The wings are bluish gray. Adults are on wing year round.

The larvae feed on Ficus species, including Ficus pedunculata, Ficus altissima, Ficus aurea, Ficus auriculata, Ficus benghalensis, Ficus benjamina, Ficus continifolia, Ficus elastica, Ficus lyrata, Ficus retusa and Ficus rubiginosa. They feed on leaf margins or create holes in the leaves. Full-grown larvae are pale yellow with four white stripes and a reddish/orange and white head. They also have little tufts of hair/spines on their body. Pupation takes place on walls of buildings, as well as on various (non-host) plants.

References

• Pitkin, Brian; Jenkins, Paul. "Search results Family: Arctiidae". Butterflies and Moths of the World. Natural History Museum, London. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)