Scotorythra paludicola Scotorythra paludicola Scotorythra paludicola, the koa looper moth, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1879. It is endemic to the Hawaiian islands of Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii. The larvae mainly feed on "Acacia koa", but have also been recorded from "Falcataria moluccana", "Grevillea" and "Tristania" species. On occasion, this species develops enormous populations and defoliates entire areas with koa trees. During a recent outbreak of "S. paludicola" in 2013 on Hawaii Island, larvae were found to feed on isolated populations of the invasive tree "Falcataria moluccana" near Akaka Falls
Acacia koa of their electric guitars as well, and still uses a koa-veneered topwood on certain models. Fender made limited edition koa wood models of the Telecaster and the Stratocaster in 2006. Trey Anastasio, guitarist for the band Phish, primarily uses a koa hollowbody Languedoc guitar. Commercial silviculture of koa takes 20 to 25 years before a tree is of useful size. Among other Pacific Islands of volcanic (non-continental) origin, only Vanuatu has native "Acacia" species. "A. heterophylla", from distant Réunion, is very similar and has been suggested to be the closest relative of koa. Genetic sequence analysis results announced in 2014