Laetilia coccidivora

Laetilia coccidivora, the scale-feeding snout moth, is a species of snout moth in the genus Laetilia. It was described by John Henry Comstock in 1879.^[2]

Laetilia coccidivora
Imago
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pyralidae
Genus:	Laetilia
Species:	L. coccidivora
Binomial name
Laetilia coccidivora (Comstock, 1879)[1]
Synonyms
Dakruma coccidivora Comstock, 1879 Laetilia cardini Dyar, 1918 Atascosa quadricolorella Dyar, 1904

It is found in the southern United States, including California, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia.

The wingspan is 10–17 mm.^[3]

The larvae are predatory on Coccidae species. They feed on the eggs and young. It uses carminic acid, acquired from its prey, as a defence against its own predators.^[4]