Elophila melagynalis Agassiz
- Family: Crambidae
- Subfamily: Acentropinae
- Genus: Elophila
- Distribution: Africa (W), Sri Lanka, Thailand, Sabah, Indonesia, China, Japan. Worldwide adventive with water plants. Lowland water bodies: Mangrove areas, cultivated areas, forest and oil palm plantations.
- Habitat: <500m.
- Wing Length: 8-12mm
Taxonomy
The holotype of Cyrtogramme melagynalis Agassiz, 1978: 121 from Sri Lanka (Colombo), is in the BMNH. comb. n. to Elophila Hübner, 1822 (Yoshiyasu, 1985: 35).
Description
A brown fulvous and white patterned sp. the female is often larger with an almost vertical white bar from the tornus of the HW. Close examination of the patterning should distinguish this sp. from the larger Elophila turbata (Butler) and E. difflualis (Snellen). See Agassiz (1978) & Chen et al. (2010) for details. Yoshiyasu (1985a) illustrates the sp. and Yoshiyasu (1987) includes it in a key to Thai Elophila spp.. A record from China (Fujian) was Thysanoidma octalis Hampson, 1891, misident. (Chen et. al. 2010).
Life History
Aquatic foodplants unknown.
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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.
- 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.
- Yoshiyasu, Y. (1985a) A systematic study of the Nymphulinae and the Musotimidae of Japan (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Sci. Rep. Kyoto Pref. Univ., Agr. 37: 1-162.
- Speidel, W. & Mey, W. (1999b) Catalogue of the oriental Acentropinae (Crambidae, Pyralidae). Tijdschr. v. Entomol. 142: 125-142, figs. 1-3.