Herpetogramma licarsisalis
Encyclopedia
The Grass Webworm or Tropical Grass Webworm (Herpetogramma licarsisalis) is a moth
of the Crambidae
family. It is native to most of the old world tropics, including New Zealand
, Hong Kong
and Queensland
. It is an introduced species in many other parts of the world, including Hawaii
, Great Britain
and the Canary Islands
.
The wingspan
is about 20 mm. Adults have fawn wings with rows of indistinct dark spots.
The larvae feed on various grasses of the Poaceae
family and is a pest of turf and pastures in some parts of its range. They live in a tube made of the leaves of their food plant lined with silk. Young larvae are light green with a pale brown head with dark markings. Older larvae are darker with pairs of dark warts on each segment along the back. Full-grown larvae are about 20 mm long.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Crambidae
Crambidae
The Crambidae are the grass moth family of Lepidoptera . They are quite variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae taking up closely folded postures on grass-stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies include brightly coloured and patterned insects which rest in...
family. It is native to most of the old world tropics, including New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. It is an introduced species in many other parts of the world, including Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 20 mm. Adults have fawn wings with rows of indistinct dark spots.
The larvae feed on various grasses of the Poaceae
Poaceae
The Poaceae is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of flowering plants. Members of this family are commonly called grasses, although the term "grass" is also applied to plants that are not in the Poaceae lineage, including the rushes and sedges...
family and is a pest of turf and pastures in some parts of its range. They live in a tube made of the leaves of their food plant lined with silk. Young larvae are light green with a pale brown head with dark markings. Older larvae are darker with pairs of dark warts on each segment along the back. Full-grown larvae are about 20 mm long.