Oiketicus kirbyi

Oiketicus kirbyi

''Oiketicus kirbyi'' is a moth of the Psychidae family. It is found in lowlands from Argentina to Mexico and on the Caribbean islands.

There is strong sexual dimorphism in the adults. Females are wingless.

The larvae feed on various plants, including ''Musa'', ''Theobroma cacao'', ''Elaeis guineensis'', ''Bactris gasipaes'', ''Cocos nucifera'', ''Citrus'', ''Tectona grandis'', ''Eucalyptus'', ''Eryobothria japonica'' and ''Terminalia catappa''. It was a serious pest in commercial banana plantations on Costa Rica's Atlantic coast from 1962 to 1964. It developed into a serious pest in oil palm plantations in the 1990s.
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyPsychidae
GenusOiketicus
SpeciesO. kirbyi
Photographed in
Trinidad and Tobago