Paralopostega serpentina
Appearance
Paralopostega serpentina | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | |
Species: | P. serpentina
|
Binomial name | |
Paralopostega serpentina (Swezey, 1921)
| |
Synonyms | |
|
Paralopostega serpentina is a moth of the Opostegidae family. It is endemic to the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and possibly Kauai.
The larvae feed on Melicope species, including Melicope elliptica, Melicope clusiaefolia and Melicope sapotaefolia. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine starts along the margin of the leaf. As it enlarges it becomes very serpentine, and finally has quite long back-and-forth loops nearly half-way across the width of the leaf.