Hodebertia

Hodebertia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Crambidae
Genus:	Hodebertia Leraut, 2003
Species:	H. testalis
Binomial name
Hodebertia testalis (Fabricius, 1794)
Synonyms
Phalaena testalis Fabricius, 1794 Pyrausta testalis Palpita testalis Botys melonalis Walker, 1859 Botys perpendiculalis Duponchel, 1833 Pleuroptya perpendicularis P. Leraut, 1980 Botys ruficostalis Lederer, 1855 Spilodes nitetisalis Walker, 1859

File:Hodebertia testalis.jpg

Hodebertia testalis

Hodebertia is a genus of micro-moth of the Crambidae family. It contains only one species, Hodebertia testalis, and is found in the tropics, but ranges north to parts of Europe on occasion.

Description

Adults are white, with two ragged brown arcs across each wing. The larvae feed on Hibiscus, Gomphocarpus and Asclepias species (including Asclepias curassavica).

Distribution

Hodebertia testalis is an African tropical species which has been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Réunion, Saint Helena, Somalia, South Africa and Zambia. It is occasionally found in Europe and has been reported from Croatia, England (St Mary's, Isles of Scilly), France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland. Elsewhere it has been found in Australia (Queensland), India, Indonesia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Taiwan and Yemen.