''Spoladea recurvalis'', the beet webworm moth or Hawaiian beet webworm moth, 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 ...

of the family

Crambidae The Crambidae are the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies includ ...

. It is found worldwide, but mainly in the tropics. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 22–24 mm. The moth flies from May to September depending on the location. The larvae feed on

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

beet The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, usually known in North America as beets while the vegetable is referred to as beetroot in British English, and also known as the table beet, garden beet, red beet, dinner beet or golden beet ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

and

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...

. They feed on the underside of the leaves protected by a slight web. The larvae are green and resemble the ribs of the leaf somewhat. When fully grown, they are about 19 mm long. The pupa is formed within a slight cocoon in a folded piece of leaf. It is very pale brown. The pupal period lasts about 12 days. Adult moths are

nectarivore In zoology, a nectarivore is an animal which derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-rich nectar produced by flowering plants. Nectar as a food source presents a number of benefits a ...

s and capable of long-distance flights.

Gallery

Spoladea_recurvalis.jpg, ''Spoladea recurvalis'' Image:Spolodea recurvalis dorsal.jpg, Dorsal view Image:Spolodea recurvalis ventral.jpg, Ventral view File:Beet Webworm Moth (Spoladea recurvalis).webm, ''Spoladea recurvalis'' filmed in Tokyo, Japan (2016)

References

External links

Lepidoptera of Belgium

''Spoladea recurvalis'' at UKMoths
* * Cirrus Digital
''Spoladea recurvalis'' – Beet webworm moth
Spilomelinae Moths of Africa Moths of Asia Moths of Europe Moths of Oceania Moths of the Middle East Moths of the Comoros Moths of Japan Moths of Madagascar Moths of Mauritius Moths of New Zealand Moths of Réunion Moths described in 1775 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius Articles containing video clips {{Spilomelinae-stub