Hypena laceratalis, the lantana defoliator, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was first described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is native to Africa (where it is known from Kenya, Socotra, Madagascar, Mascarenes) to Yemen, India and Myanmar but was deliberately introduced to Australia (where it now known from northern Queensland to Kempsey in New South Wales) via Hawaii in 1965 to control the weed Lantana camara.
| Hypena laceratalis | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Genus: | Hypena |
| Species: | H. laceratalis
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| Binomial name | |
| Hypena laceratalis Walker, 1859
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| Synonyms | |
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The larvae feed on Lantana camara. They feed on the undersides of leaves, forming clear windows and skeletonising the leaves. Pupation occurs in the soil.
Development from egg to adult takes about 28 days. Adults live for about two weeks.
References edit
- Distribution: from Papillons de la Réunion: 388. ISBN 978-2-914817-07-3
External links edit
- Zimmerman, Elwood C. (1958). Insects of Hawaii. Vol. 7 Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. hdl:10125/7336.
- Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (16 August 2019). "Hypena laceratalis Walker, 1859 Lantana Defoliator". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
- Biological control species factsheet
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