Lantana plume moth | |
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Lantanophaga pusillidactyla | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Pterophoridae |
Genus: | Lantanophaga |
Species: | L. pusillidactyla |
Binomial name | |
Lantanophaga pusillidactyla (Walker, 1864) |
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Synonyms | |
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Lantanophaga pusillidactyla, the lantana plume moth, is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. It is native to the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. It was introduced to Australia accidentally in 1936 and is now found from Sydney to Cairns along the coast. It has also been introduced to Hawaii in 1902, Pohnpei in 1948 and Palau in 1960 for biological control. It has since been recorded from Yap in 1987–1988 and is now distributed on all islands of the Mariana and Caroline Islands where the host plant is found, except Aguijan.
Other records include Cape Verde, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, La Réunion, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nigeria, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Israel, Morocco, India, Indonesia (Java), New Guinea and Sri Lanka.