''Epipyrops exigua'' or ''Fulgoraecia exigua'', the planthopper parasite moth, is a moth in the

Epipyropidae The Epipyropidae comprise a small family of moths. This family and the closely related Cyclotornidae are unique among the Lepidoptera in that the larvae are ectoparasites, the hosts typically being fulgoroid planthoppers, thus the common name ...

family. It was described by Henry Edwards in 1882. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from New Jersey and Pennsylvania to central Florida, west to Missouri, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. The wingspan is 8–13 mm. Adults are on wing from June to October. The larvae feed on planthoppers of the superfamily Fulgoroidea. The first-instar larva is an

ectoparasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

of the planthopper, sucking body fluids from the abdomen beneath the wings.BugGuide
/ref> Fulgoraecia exigua larva

References

BAMONA. Planthopper Parasite Moth. ''Fulgoraecia exigua'' (Henry Edwards, 1882)
Moths described in 1882 Epipyropidae {{Zygaenoidea-stub