''Homadaula anisocentra'', also known as the mimosa webworm, is a species of
moth
Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
in the family
Galacticidae
Galacticidae is a recently recognised and enigmatic family of insects in the lepidopteran order. These moderate sized moths are 8–17 mm in wingspan and have previously been embedded within several lepidopteran superfamilies (Tineoidea: ...
. It is considered a
pest of
ornamental plant
Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
s. They attack the leaves of mimosa (''
Albizia julibrissin
''Albizia julibrissin'', the Persian silk tree, pink silk tree, or mimosa tree, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae, native to southwestern Asia and eastern Asia.
The genus is named after the Italian nobleman Filippo degli Albizzi, who i ...
'') and honeylocust (''
Gleditsia triacanthos
The honey locust (''Gleditsia triacanthos''), also known as the thorny locust or thorny honeylocust, is a deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae, native to central North America where it is mostly found in the moist soil of river valleys. Honey ...
'').
This species was introduced into the United States from
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in the 1940s.
Description
Adults are about long. They are silvery gray in color and have wings covered with small, black dots. The larvae are approximately in length and are green to dark brown color. The larvae have white stripes.
References
External links
Images and information
Galacticidae
Moths described in 1922
Moths of Japan
{{Yponomeutoidea-stub