Waterlily Leaf Cutter – Synclita obliteralis

Waterlily Leaf Cutter – Synclita Obliteralis Scientific Name: Elophila Obliteralis (Walker, 1859), Synclita Obliteralis Common Name: Waterlily Leaf Cutter Distribution: This common moth may be found all throughout Florida, as well as in Texas, western Nova Scotia, and southern Manitoba to the north. It has also been brought to British Columbia, Hawaii, and England. Host plants: Over sixty different types of aquatic plants may be seen, including duckweed, white water lilies, pondweed (illinoiensis and americanensis), water stargrass (Heteranthera), Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata), water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), and waterlettuce (Pistia stratiotes). Identification: The waterlily leafcutter moth, Elophila Obliteralis, belongs to the Crambidae family of moths. Francis Walker wrote a description of it in 1859. It originated in the eastern United States. In South Africa and Hawaii, it is an invasive species. The male has a smaller wingspan than the female, measuring between 10 and 22 mm. In North America, adults are winging from May to August.  Larvae lack filamentous gills at birth, although they do have a longitudinal tracheal system and a few long simple hairs. It resembles leaf detritus. The larvae have a dull light-green body and a pale brown head. They are around 9 mm long. Life Cycle: The exposed margins of submerged aquatic plants are where the female moth deposits her eggs. The larvae cocoon themselves inside bits of chopped leaf after hatching. Silk is used to weave webs between the leaves. While older larvae’s cases are air-filled, those created by younger larvae are water-filled, and oxygen intake happens cutaneous (perhaps via the epidermal papillae). Young larvae’s casings stay affixed to the leaf they were formed from. The casing separates from the leaf and the older larvae swim freely. As they grow older, larvae build bigger cases from newly fallen leaves, abandoning smaller ones. The case might be made up of two whole leaves, leaf fragments, or silk-tied plant components from several different plants. Normally, the body stays inside the casing, but the larvae expand out to feed on plant material. Before becoming pupae, larvae build a silk cocoon within their leaf cases and tie their cases to the petioles or leaf blades of their host plants, either above or below the water’s surface. Damage: Elophila Obliteralis has a broad host range and has been seen to consume invasive aquatic weeds such as salvinia, water lettuce, hygrophila, and hydrilla in addition to attractive pond plants like waterlilies. The stage that damages plant tissue while feeding on the plant is known as the larvae. The larvae chop the leaves to create a leaf case for housing in addition to eating. The larvae sever fresh, ever bigger leaf casings as they grow. This action alone has the potential to seriously harm the infected plant. Management: A small bug that occasionally causes issues in greenhouses and aquatic ornamentals. The larvae can be manually picked or removed from the plant material using a Berlese funnel. The adults can be captured using UV black lamps.