Elophila difflualis Snellen, [1880]; PED 3

• 1

  Taxonomy

  
  

  The male holotype of Hydrocampa difflualis Snellen [1880] 1892: 75 from Sulawesi (Makassar) is in Leiden.
  
  syn. Isopteryx enixalis Swinhoe, 1885: 869. TL India (Bombay); syn. n. Agassiz, (1978: 120);
  
  syn. Nymphula osculatrix Meyrick, 1933: 394. TL Siam [Thailand]; lectotype designated Agassiz, (1978).
  
  syn. Cymoriza linealis Moore, 1888: 210. TL India (Calcutta) (syn. note by Agassiz 1985 on LepIndex card).
  
  Once considered syn. with Diasemia [Elophila] responsalis Walker ([1866] 1865: 1326) and Nymphicula manilensis Sauber, 1902: 654. TL Philippines (Luzon) but Agassiz considers them good spp. (LepIndex).

• 2

  Description

  
  

  Wing length: 8mm. A fulvous brown and white sp. with a paler median band across both wings. Close examination of the patterning should distinguish this from Elophila turbata (Butler). It can also be confused with the smaller Elophila melagynalis Agassiz, 1978 but that has no yellow discal spots on the Uns and Ups of the FW and its female has an almost vertical white bar from the tornus of the HW. Agassiz (1978) and Li et al. (2009: 354: 174-175, Pl. X fig. 145, pl. LXXXII) illustrate the sp. but unusually Li et al only provide a figure of the female genitalia. Yoshiyasu (1987) includes the sp. in a key to Thai Elophila spp. Chen et al. (2010) give a key to 15 Chinese Elophila spp. and two plates of illustrations of the spp.

• 3

  Distribution & Habitat

  
  

  India, Thailand, Sabah, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, China, Australia (NT, Q). Worldwide adventive with water plants.

• 4

  Life History & Pest Status

  
  

  Li et al. list the foodplants as Hydrocharis asiatica, (Hydrocharitaceae); Azolla imbricata; Salvinia natans, (Pteridophyta, Salviniacea); Lemna paucicostata, Spirodela polyrhiza, Pistia stratiotes (Araceae).

• 5

  Similar spp.

  
  

  Elophila melagynalis

  Elophila turbata

• 6

  Unrelated Look-alikes

  
  

  no content available.

• 7

  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.
  
  Li, Hou Hun & Ren Yingdang et. al. (2009) Henan insect fauna Lepidoptera: Pyralidae. 440pp, Science Press. [in Chinese]
  
  Meyrick, E. (1933) Exot. Microlep., 4: 394.
  
  Snellen, P.C.T., ([1880] 1880-1892). Achtse afdeeling. Lepidoptera door P.C.T. Snellen, met eene inleiding door Joh. F. Snelleman. In: Veth, P.J., (1880-1892). Natuurlijke Historie. Midden-Sumatra. 4 (8): 92 pp., 5 pl. Leiden. [in Dutch]
  
  Swinhoe, C. (1885) on the Lepidoptera of Bombay and the Deccan, part iv Heterocera (continued). Proc. zool. Soc. Lond.: 862-888, pls. 56-57.
  
  Speidel, W. (1984) Revision der Acentropinae des palaearktischen fuanengebietes (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) Neue ent. Nachr., 12: 1-149, 3 pls.
  
  Yoshiyasu, Y. (1987) Microlepid. Thailand, 1: 133-185.

• 8

  Genitalia

  
  

  No content available.

• 9

  DNA Barcode

  
  

  No content available.

• 10

  3D Imaging

  
  

  No content available.

• 11

  Spare

  
  

  No content available.

KEY TO TABS
(1) Taxonomy, (2) Description, (3) Distribution & Habitat, (4) Life History & Pest Status, (5) Similar spp., (6) Unrelated Look-alikes, (7) References, (8) Genitalia, (9) DNA Barcode, (10) 3D Imaging, (11) Spare