Herpetogramma licarsisalis

Herpetogramma licarsisalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Crambidae
Genus:	Herpetogramma
Species:	H. licarsisalis
Binomial name
Herpetogramma licarsisalis (Walker, 1859)
Synonyms
Botys licarsisalis Walker, 1859 Botys pharaxalis Walker, 1859 Botys immundalis Walker, 1866 Entephria fumidalis Walker, 1866 Botys serotinalis De Joannis, 1889 Botys abstrusalis Walker, 1859

Herpetogramma licarsisalis, the grass webworm or tropical grass webworm, 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 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.

External links

• Australian Insects
• UKmoths
• Biology of the Grass Webworm, Herpetogramma licarsisalis (Lepidoptera: Pyraustidae) in Hawaii