''Eloria noyesi'', the coca tussock moth, is a moth of the subfamily

Lymantriinae The Lymantriinae (formerly called the Lymantriidae) are a subfamily of moths of the family Erebidae. The taxon was erected by George Hampson in 1893. Many of its component species are referred to as "tussock moths" of one sort or another. The ca ...

first described by

William Schaus William Schaus (January 11, 1858, in New York City – June 20, 1942) was an American Entomology, entomologist who became known for his major contribution to the knowledge and description of new species of the Neotropical realm, Neotropical Lepido ...

in 1927. It is beige and its

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e feed on

coca Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. Coca leaves contain cocaine which acts as a mild stimulant when chewed or ...

plants. It is found mostly in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. The government of Colombia has proposed a plan to release large numbers of these moths to destroy the coca crops in their country.

References

"Scientists believe insects would kill coca crops"
(June 9, 2005). ''NBC News.com''. Retrieved March 26, 2020. * Schlotterbeck, Isaac (June 5, 2015)
"''Eloria Noyesi'': Colombia's Potential Solution to Eradicating Illicit Coca"
''Council on Hemispheric Affairs''. Retrieved March 26, 2020. Lymantriinae Moths described in 1927 {{Lymantriidae-stub