Elophila responsalis Walker
- Family: Crambidae
- Subfamily: Acentropinae
- Genus: Elophila
- Distribution: Sri Lanka, India (W. Bengal), Burma, Sabah, Kalimantan Selatan, Java, Sumatra, Philippines, Australia (NT,Q, NSW). China (Hong Kong), Japan.
- Habitat: Aquatic larvae; lakes & ponds.
- Wing Length: 7mm
Taxonomy
The type of Diasemia responsalis Walker 1865 [1866]: 1326 is from Australia (Morton Bay), comb. n. to Elophila Hübner, 1822 (Shaffer et al., 1996)
- syn. Paraponyx [sic] marmorea Meyrick, 1885: 434 TL Australia (Duaringa) (Shaffer et al., 1996)
Description
A mottled brown and white sp.. Elophila responsalis is superficially similar to E. melagynalis Agassiz. Mochida et al. (1987) give a basic life history and a table of identifying characters of most stages of Elophila responsalis Walker, E. enixalis (Swinhoe) & E. nigralbalis (Caradja) including genitalia of adult males. See also Chen et al. 2010.
Life History
One of the common natural enemies of Salvinia spp. (invasive aquatic ferns) (Subagyo 1975, Handayani & Syed 1976). Food plants: Salvinia spp., Azolla pinnata, A. microphylla (Pteridophyta, Salviniacea); Marsilea crenata, (Pteridophyta, Marsileaceae) Pistia stratiotes; Lemna paucicostata, Spirodela polyrhiza [= Lemna polyrhiza] & S. oligorrhiza (Araceae) (Subagyo 1975).
References
- Walker, 1865 [1866] List Spec. Lep. Ins. B.M, 34, pp i-iv, 1121-1434, London.
- Subagyo, T. (1975) Some aspects of the biology of Nymphula responsalis Wlk. attacking Salvinia spp., Biotrop Newsletter, 12: 14.
- Handayani, T.; Syed, R. A., (1976): Nymphula responsalis attacking Salvinia spp. in Indonesia. BIOTROP Biotrop Newsletter, 15: 14.
- Mochida, O., Yoshiyasu, Y. & Dimaano, D. (1987) Insect pests of Azolla in the Philippines, 207-221. In Anon, Azolla utilization; Proceedings of the Workshop on Azolla Use, Fuzhou, Fujian, China 31 March-5 April 1985. 296pp.
- Anon (1987) Azolla utilization; Proceedings of the Workshop on Azolla Use, Fuzhou, Fujian, China 31 March-5 April 1985. The Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian, China & The International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. 296pp.
- Shaffer, M., & Nielsen, E.S. & Horak, M., (1996) Pyraloidea (In Nielsen, E.S., Edwards, E.D. & Rangji (Eds.) Checklist of the Lepidoptera of Australia: 164-199, CSIRO, Australia.
- Chen, F-Q, Wu, C-S. & Xue, D-Y. (2010) A review of the genus Elophila Hübner, 1822 in China (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Acentropinae). Aquatic Insects 32 (1): 35-60.