Waterlily leafcutter moth
Elophila obliteralis
The waterlily leafcutter moth is a small moth whose caterpillars live on water plants. They munch waterlilies, water hyacinths and pondweeds. You may see the moths near ponds in summer.
Lives in
Eastern North America, and brought to Hawaii and South Africa, at ponds and lakes
Wingspan
1 to 2.2 cm (0.39 to 0.87 in)
males are smaller than femalesCan it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Moths cannot bite or sting.
What does it eat?
Its caterpillars eat many water plants, such as waterlilies, water hyacinth, water lettuce, hydrilla and pondweeds.
How big is it?
How wide are its wings?
🍚wings as wide as 4 grains of rice in a row⚽could fly across a whole football pitch in 38 seconds
How big is Waterlily leafcutter moth compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
Waterlily leafcutter moth about 10 km/h (6.2 mph)
A kid running fast about 13 km/h (8.1 mph)
A grown-up on a bike about 25 km/h (16 mph)
cool stuff
Fun facts
1
Few caterpillars live on water plants, but this one does.
2
In North America the moths fly from May to August.
3
It was carried to Hawaii and South Africa, where it now lives too.
you asked
Most asked questions about Waterlily leafcutter moth
?What does the waterlily leafcutter moth eat?
Its caterpillars eat water plants like waterlilies and water hyacinth.
?How big is the waterlily leafcutter moth?
Its wingspan is 1 to 2 centimetres. The females are bigger than the males.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Elophila obliteralis
- Named by
- Walker, 1859
- Group
- Moths
- Family
- Crambidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Lepidoptera > Crambidae
- Lives on
- North America, Australia and Oceania, Africa
Where the facts come from
- Elophila obliteralis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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