Hypena laceratalis

{{Speciesbox

| image = Hypena laceratalis.jpg

| image2 = Hypena laceratalis2.jpg

| taxon = Hypena laceratalis

| authority = Walker, 1859

| synonyms = {{Specieslist

|Hypena comptalis|Moore, 1885

|Hypena acrocompsa|Turner, 1932}}

}}

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, India and Myanmar 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.

The larvae feed on Lantana camara.

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

References

{{cite book |last=Zimmerman |first=Elwood C. |author-link=Elwood Zimmerman |date=1958 |title=Insects of Hawaii |volume=7 Macrolepidoptera |publisher=University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu|hdl=10125/7336 }}
{{cite web |last1=Herbison-Evans |first1=Don |last2=Crossley |first2=Stella |name-list-style=amp |date=16 August 2019 |url=http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/hypn/laceratalis.html |title=Hypena laceratalis Walker, 1859 Lantana Defoliator |website=Australian Caterpillars and their Butterflies and Moths |access-date=13 February 2020}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110309113952/http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/documents/Biosecurity_EnvironmentalPests/IPA-Lantana-Biocontrol-6.pdf Biological control species factsheet]