''Eloria noyesi'', the coca tussock moth, is a moth of the subfamily

Lymantriinae The Lymantriinae (formerly called the Lymantriidae) are a subfamily of moths of the family Erebidae. The taxon was erected by George Hampson in 1893. Many of its component species are referred to as "tussock moths" of one sort or another. The cat ...

first described by Schaus in 1927. It is beige and its

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e feed on

coca Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The plant is grown as a cash crop in the Argentine Northwest, Bolivia, Al ...

plants. It is found mostly in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

. The government of Colombia has proposed a plan to release large numbers of these moths to destroy the coca crops in their country.

References

"Scientists believe insects would kill coca crops"
(June 9, 2005). ''NBC News.com''. Retrieved March 26, 2020. * Schlotterbeck, Isaac (June 5, 2015)
"''Eloria Noyesi'': Colombia's Potential Solution to Eradicating Illicit Coca"
''Council on Hemispheric Affairs''. Retrieved March 26, 2020. Lymantriinae {{Lymantriidae-stub