Palpita nigropunctalis

Palpita nigropunctalis, the lilac pyralid, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is found in eastern Asia, including China (Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi), Taiwan, Korea, Japan and the Russian Far East (Siberia, Kuriles, Sakhalin).[1]

Palpita nigropunctalis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Crambidae
Genus: Palpita
Species:
P. nigropunctalis
Binomial name
Palpita nigropunctalis
(Bremer, 1864)
Synonyms
  • Margarodes nigropunctalis Bremer, 1864
  • Margaronia neomera Butler, 1878

The wingspan is 29–31 mm.[2] Adults are on wing from April to October. Adults are on wing from late March to early April, from mid May to early June and from early September to mid November in Japan. There are three generations per year.

The larvae feed on the flowers, fruits and leaves of Ligustrum species, including Ligustrum japonicum and Ligustrum lucidum. They have also been recorded on Fraxinus mandschurica. First-instar larvae occur three times per year in Japan (in late April to early May, mid to late September and early to mid October).[3]

References

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  1. ^ Zhang, D.-D. & H.H. Li, 2005: A taxonomic study on Palpita Hübner from China (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Pyraustinae: Spilomelini). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica 30 (1): 144-149. Abstract and full article: [1]
  2. ^ "Japanese Moths". Jpmoth.org. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
  3. ^ Gotoh, Tetsuo; Hagino, Yuko; Doke, Kentaro (2011). "Life cycle of the lilac pyralid Palpita nigropunctalis (Bremer) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) on five oleaceous tree species". Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology. 14 (2): 195–200. doi:10.1016/j.aspen.2010.12.007.