Native
Crocidosema lantana Busck (Tortricidae: Olethreutinae: Eucosmini)
Common name: lantana flower-cluster moth
Synonyms: corynetes (Epinotia), eridela (Eucosma), perversa (Eucosma), phaedropa (Eucosma), polyphaea (Eucosma), tornocosma (Eucosma)
FWLFWL:
forewing length; the distance from the base of the forewing to the apex, including fringe
: 4.0-6.0 mm
Head, thorax light brown to brown; forewing with ground color light brown to brown; ocellusocellus:
forewing pattern element - an ovoid region anterior to the tornus; adult head - a simple insect "eye" located dorsal to the compound eye 
surrounded by white-gray scaling; dark brown to black triangle present anterioranterior:
before, to the front, toward the head 
of ocellusocellus:
forewing pattern element - an ovoid region anterior to the tornus; adult head - a simple insect "eye" located dorsal to the compound eye , sometimes continuing along much of inner margininner margin:
see dorsum 
(this area sometimes white instead); costal strigulaecostal strigulae:
small, usually pale, semirectangular marks along the costa 
short, white; male with large, well-developed costal fold; hindwing brown.
Male genitalia are characterized by a short uncusuncus:
a sclerotized process which is fused to the posterodorsal margin of tergum IX
; semicircular, free sociisocii:
a pair of lightly sclerotized setose lobes
; valvaevalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation
with a large basal excavation, saccular angle approximately 90 degrees, and a moderate cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva
. Female genitalia are characterized by narrow papillae analespapillae anales:
the female ovipositor lobes 
; a bilobed sterigmasterigma:
the sclerotized region surrounding the female ostium bursae 
with small ostiumostium:
see ostium bursae 
; a ring of fine sclerites around base of corpus bursaecorpus bursae:
a dilated membranous sac at the anterior end of the bursa copulatrix
; and two large, opposed, blade-like signasignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae
.
The following account is summarized from Swezey (1924).
Mature larva approximately 6 mm in length; head black; prothoracic shieldprothoracic shield:
a sclerotized plate on the dorsal surface of the prothorax 
with a black spot; body brownish-gray with a slight red tinge; anal fork present; SV group on A1, 2, 7, 8, 9 usually 3:3:2:2:2.
Detailed figures of larval chaetotaxychaetotaxy:
the arrangement of setae (in reference to Lepidoptera larvae), often depicted on a "setal map"
are available in Zimmerman (1978)Zimmerman (1978):
Zimmerman, E. C. 1978. Insects of Hawaii, Volume 9, Microlepidoptera, Part 1. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 881 pp..
Pupa brown, approximately 5 mm in length.
Crocidosema lantana is very similar to members of the Crocidosema plebejana complex. Members of this complex average larger than C. lantana and lack a costal fold but possess a larger, denser cubital pectenpecten:
a comblike or rakelike structure located on the first antennal segment
in the hindwing. In addition, the cuculluscucullus:
the distal portion of the male valva of the male valvavalva:
an appendage flanking the intromittent organ that is used to clasp the female during copulation of C. plebejana is very different: almost triangular in shape and with large spines near the apexapex:
the point furthest removed from the base or at the end of the costal area 
. The females of C. plebejana are quite distinct as well: a simpler sterigmasterigma:
the sclerotized region surrounding the female ostium bursae ; ring of fine sclerites around base of ductus bursaeductus bursae:
a membranous tube connecting the ostium bursae to the corpus bursae
absent; and smaller signasignum:
a sclerotized projection or patch on the interior of the corpus bursae.
Little else is known about the life cycle of C. lantana except for the following account summarized from Swezey (1924).
Eggs are laid in the flower heads of the host plant, often Lantana, before the blossoms open. Larvae bore into the growing shoots of the host plant, but also feed in the flower heads and fruit. Adults and larvae can be found year-round in Hawaii (UHIM collectionUHIM collection:
UHIM collection. Based on identified reared specimens in the collection of the University of Hawaii Insect Museum, Honolulu, HI).
| Host plant | Host plant family | Reference(s) |
| Tabebuia chrysantha | Bignoniaceae | Zimmerman 1978Zimmerman 1978: Zimmerman, E. C. 1978. Insects of Hawaii, Volume 9, Microlepidoptera, Part 1. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 881 pp. |
| Tecoma stans | Bignoniaceae | Zimmerman 1978Zimmerman 1978: Zimmerman, E. C. 1978. Insects of Hawaii, Volume 9, Microlepidoptera, Part 1. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 881 pp. |
| Litchi chinensis | Sapindaceae | Zimmerman 1978Zimmerman 1978: Zimmerman, E. C. 1978. Insects of Hawaii, Volume 9, Microlepidoptera, Part 1. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 881 pp. |
| Lantana camara | Verbenaceae | Busck 1910Busck 1910: Busck, A. 1910. New Central American Microlepidoptera introduced into the Hawaiian Islands. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 12: 132-135.; Tyron 1914Tyron 1914: Tyron, H. 1914. Report of the entomologist and vegetable pathologist. Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture, Stock, Queensland, 1913- 14: 114-120.; Perkins & Swezey 1924; Common 1957Common 1957: Common, I.F.B. 1957. The occurrence of Epinotia lantana (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae) in Australia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 82: 230-232.; Clarke 1976Clarke 1976: Clarke, J. F. G. 1976. Microlepidoptera: Tortricoidea. Insects of Micronesia. 9: 1-144.; Zimmerman 1978Zimmerman 1978: Zimmerman, E. C. 1978. Insects of Hawaii, Volume 9, Microlepidoptera, Part 1. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 881 pp.; Ibrahim & Zakaria 1988; Muniappan 1990Muniappan 1990: Muniappan, R. 1990. Biological control of Lantana camara L. in Yap. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society. 29: 195-196. |
| Lantana sp. | Verbenaceae | Busck 1910Busck 1910: Busck, A. 1910. New Central American Microlepidoptera introduced into the Hawaiian Islands. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. 12: 132-135.; MacKay 1959MacKay 1959: MacKay, M. R. 1959. Larvae of the North American Olethreutidae (Lepidoptera). Canadian Entomologist, Supplement 10: 1-338.; Common 1957Common 1957: Common, I.F.B. 1957. The occurrence of Epinotia lantana (Busck) (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae) in Australia. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 82: 230-232.; Kimball 1965Kimball 1965: Kimball, C. P. 1965. The Lepidoptera of Florida: an annotated checklist. In : Arthropods of Florida and neighboring land areas, vol. 1. Florida Department of Agriculture, Division of Plant Industry, Gainesville. 363 pp.; Zimmerman 1978Zimmerman 1978: Zimmerman, E. C. 1978. Insects of Hawaii, Volume 9, Microlepidoptera, Part 1. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 881 pp. |
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Crocidosema lantana is native to Florida, Central America, and the Caribbean. It has been widely introduced around the world as a biological control agent for Lantana. It is present in Kenya, South Africa, Madagascar, China, Sri Lanka, Australia, Hawaii, and several islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
