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Hypena laceratalis, the lantana defoliator, is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was first described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is native to Africa (where it is known from Kenya, Socotra, Madagascar, Mascarenes) to Yemen and India, but was deliberately introduced to Australia (where it now known from northern Queensland to Kempsey in New South Wales) via Hawaii in 1965 to control the weed Lantana camara.

Hypena laceratalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Superfamily:	Noctuoidea
Family:	Erebidae
Genus:	Hypena
Species:	H. laceratalis
Binomial name
Hypena laceratalis Walker, 1859
Synonyms
Hypena comptalis Moore, 1885 Hypena acrocompsa Turner, 1932

The larvae feed on Lantana camara. They feed on the undersides of leaves, forming clear windows and skeletonising the leaves. Pupation occurs in the soil.

Development from egg to adult takes about 28 days. Adults live for about two weeks.

References

• Distribution: from Papillons de la Réunion: 388. ISBN 978-2-914817-07-3

External links

• Zimmerman, Elwood C. (1958). Insects of Hawaii. Vol. 7 Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu. hdl:10125/7336.
• Herbison-Evans, Don & Crossley, Stella (16 August 2019). "Hypena laceratalis Walker, 1859 Lantana Defoliator". Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
• Biological control species factsheet

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