Elophila manilensis Hampson
- Family: Crambidae
- Subfamily: Acentropinae
- Genus: Elophila
- Distribution: India, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, W. Malaysia, Sarawak, Kalimantan, Indonesia (Java), Philippines, China (Hong Kong). Worldwide adventive with water plants. Lakes and ponds.
- Habitat: Uplands as well as lowland water bodies..
- Wing Length: male 10-14; female 16-22mm
Taxonomy
The holotype of Nymphula manilensis Hampson, 1917: 369 is from the Philippines (Manila). comb. n. to Elophila Hübner, 1822 (Agassiz 1978).
Description
One of the largest and darkest of the common Elophila spp.. Yoshiyasu (1987) includes the sp. in a key to four Thai Elophila spp.
Life History
Feeds on Salvinia cucullata (Pteridophyta, Salviniacea) and Pistia stratiotes (Araceae) (RTS, 1994) The larvae feed entirely underwater on water plants causing sufficient damage to be considered a minor pest.
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References
- Agassiz, D. J. (1978) Five introduced species, including one new to science, of China Mark Moths (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae), new to Britain. Ent. Gaz., 29., 117-127.
- Yoshiyasu, Y. (1987) Microlepid. Thailand, 1: 133-185.
- [RTS] Robinson, G.S., Tuck, K.R. & Shaffer, M. (1994) A Field Guide to the Smaller Moths of South-East Asia, Malaysian Nature Society Kuala Lumpur & Natural History Museum, London, 311 pp. 51 text figs, 32 pls.
- [RTS] (1994): 166, pl. 28, fig.10.
- Chen, F. -Q, Wu, C -S. & Xue, D. -Y. (2010) A review of the genus Elophila Hübner, 1822 in China (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Acentropinae). Aquatic Insects 32 (1): 35-60.
- Hampson, G.F. (1917e) XXXIII Descriptions of new Pyralidae of the Subfamilies Hydrocampinae, Scoparianae, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist.,Ser. 8, 19, (113): 361-376.
- Speidel, W. & Mey, W. (1999b) Catalogue of the oriental Acentropinae (Crambidae, Pyralidae). Tijdschr. v. Entomol. 142: 125-142, figs. 1-3.