Orphanostigma haemorrhoidalis

Orphanostigma haemorrhoidalis (Guenée, 1854)
Lantana Leaftier
(formerly known as Salbia haemorrhoidalis)
SPILOMELINAE, CRAMBIDAE, PYRALOIDEA

Don Herbison-Evans
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Orphanostigma haemorrhoidalis
(Photo: courtesy of Guilherme A. Fischer, Brasilia, Brazil)

The Caterpillars of this species are green, with a faint dark line along the back. The head is brownish-green with dark markings. There are pairs of black spots on the back of each abdominal segment, a long black dash each side of the prothorax, and pairs of black dashes each side of the meso- and meta-thorax.

The caterpillars feed on the foliage of

Lantana (Lantana camara, VERBENEACEAE).

The caterpillars create shelters consisting of folded leaves fastened with silk. Pupation occurs in the litter under the foodplant.

(Photo: courtesy of Dianne Clarke, Maleny, Queensland)

The adult moths have wings that are pale brown, with three wiggly brown lines across each forewing, and two across each hindwing. The wingspan is about 2 cms.

(Photo: courtesy of Daniel H. Janzen, and the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph)

The species appears originally from the Americas, including

Brazil, and

U.S.A.,

It has been introduced into other countries to control the poisonous exotic weed Lantana, including

Kenya,

Madagascar, and

and Australia, in

Queensland.

The eggs are laid on the undersides of leaves of a foodplant.