Kauaʻi record · KCA-IA-00340
Dryadaula terpsichorella
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About Dryadaula terpsichorella
Dryadaula terpsichorella is known as the dancing moth because of the distinctive movements of resting adults.
Natural history and identification
Dryadaula terpsichorella is known as the dancing moth because of the distinctive movements of resting adults. Published work records its larvae among dead leaves, linking its life history with decaying plant material rather than assuming it is a live-leaf crop pest. It occurs beyond Hawaiʻi in the western Pacific. The adult behavior and larval substrate are different kinds of evidence; neither establishes a present-day Kauaʻi abundance estimate.
Kauaʻi occurrence and evidence
Atlas occurrence category: Present. Previously known from Kauaʻi and other Hawaiian islands.
Evidence limits
The cited observations describe the evidence currently available for this account. They do not establish a complete life history or a measured current Kauaʻi population trend.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Dryadaula terpsichorella
- Family
- Dryadaulidae
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Present
- Origin
- Introduced
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal description
- Dryadaula terpsichorella is known as the dancing moth because of the distinctive movements of resting adults.