Margarosticha repetitalis (Warren, 1896)
 (previously known as Cataclysta repetitalis)
ACENTROPINAE,   CRAMBIDAE,   PYRALOIDEA
 
Don Herbison-Evans,
(donherbisonevans@yahoo.com)
and
Stella Crossley

Margarosticha repetitalis
(Photo: courtesy of Buck Richardson, Kuranda, Queensland)

This Caterpillar has gills, and feeds underwater on various aquatic plants, including:

  • Water Thyme ( Hydrilla verticillata, HYDROCHARITACEAE )

    The adult moth is orange, with brown and buff markings. The hindwings have a marginal arc of black spots. The wingspan is up to 3 cms.

    Margarosticha repetitalis
    (Photo: courtesy of David Knowles, Walcott, Western Australia)

    The species has been found in :

  • Queensland, and
  • Western Australia.

    The species has been suggested as a control agent in USA for Esthwaite Waterweed, which is pest in waterways there.

    Further reading :

    Peter Hendry,
    The Night of the Crambidae,
    Butterfly and Other Invertebrates Club,
    Newslettter, Issue 49 (June 2008), pp. 26-29.

    Buck Richardson,
    Tropical Queensland Wildlife from Dusk to Dawn Science and Art,
    LeapFrogOz, Kuranda, 2015, p. 26.

    William Warren,
    New Genera and Species of Pyralidae, Thyrididae, and Epiplemidae,
    Annals and Magazine of Natural History,
    6th Series, Part 17 (1896), pp. 205-206.

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    (updated 7 September 2010, 7 November 2018)