Homaledra heptathalama

Homaledra heptathalama
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Batrachedridae
Genus:	Homaledra
Species:	H. heptathalama
Binomial name
Homaledra heptathalama Busck, 1900

Homaledra heptathalama, the exclamation moth or palm leaf housemaker, is a moth in the Batrachedridae family. It was described by August Busck in 1900. It is found in the United States, where it has been recorded from Alabama, Florida and South Carolina.^[1]

The wingspan is about 20 mm. The forewings are slender, tapering to a rounded point at the apex. They are pale yellowish brown except for a darker brownish-orange strip along the costa and two white markings in the median area. Adults have been recorded on wing nearly year round.

The larvae feed on the underside of the leaves of Sabal palmetto in a fold, making a chambered shelter of its frass. The larva starts by making a small elongate chamber and adds, as it grows, successively larger, more or less rectangular, thick-walled, communicating rooms. When finished, the structure contains seven to eight chambers.^[2]

References

• Natural History Museum Lepidoptera generic names catalog