Lantana Defoliator

Hypena laceratalis

"Hypena laceratalis", the lantana defoliator, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was first described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is native to Africa to Yemen and India, but was deliberately introduced to Australia via Hawaii in 1965 to control the weed "Lantana camara".
Hypena laceratalis Dapa, Valle Del Cauca 2100m Hypena laceratalis

Reproduction

Development from egg to adult takes about 28 days. Adults live for about two weeks.

Food

The larvae feed on "Lantana camara". They feed on the undersides of leaves, forming clear windows and skeletonising the leaves. Pupation occurs in the soil.

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderLepidoptera
FamilyErebidae
GenusHypena
SpeciesH. laceratalis
Photographed in
Colombia