Stats

Lifespan: A few months
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Nocturnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Tropical forest
Range: Caribbean
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Uncommon

About

This moth lives among the tropical forests and shrublands of Puerto Rico. Its larvae construct portable silk cases covered in debris to hide from predators.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A tiny ribbed egg laid on the underside of a host-plant leaf, hatching within days.
2.
caterpillar
A voracious caterpillar feeds and molts through several instars, growing rapidly.
3.
cocoon
A silk cocoon spun in leaf litter or soil while the body remodels into a winged adult.
4.
moth
A winged adult with feathery antennae and scaled wings, most active after dark.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tineidae
Genus: Acrolophus
Species: Acrolophus walsinghami