Hodebertia

Hodebertia is a genus of micro-moth of the family Crambidae. It contains only one species, Hodebertia testalis, and is found in the tropics, but ranges north to parts of Europe on occasion.

Hodebertia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Crambidae
Tribe:	Margaroniini
Genus:	Hodebertia Leraut, 2003[1]
Species:	H. testalis
Binomial name
Hodebertia testalis (Fabricius, 1794)
Synonyms
Phalaena testalis Fabricius, 1794 Pyrausta testalis Palpita testalis Botys melonalis Walker, 1859 Botys perpendiculalis Duponchel, 1833 Pleuroptya perpendicularis P. Leraut, 1980 Botys ruficostalis Lederer, 1855 Spilodes nitetisalis Walker, 1859

Hodebertia testalis

Description

Adults are white, with two ragged brown arcs across each wing.^[2] The larvae feed on Hibiscus, Gomphocarpus and Asclepias species (including Asclepias curassavica).^[3]

Distribution

Hodebertia testalis is an African tropical species which has been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Réunion, Saint Helena, Somalia, South Africa and Zambia.^[3] It is occasionally found in Europe and has been reported from Croatia, England (St Mary's, Isles of Scilly), France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.^[4][5] Elsewhere it has been found in Australia (Queensland), India, Indonesia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan and Yemen.