Cryptophlebia illepida Cryptophlebia illepida Cryptophlebia illepida is a species of moth in the family Tortricidae that is endemic to the islands of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Lānai and Hawaii. Common names include koa seedworm, klu tortricid, koa seed moth, litchi borer, litchi moth, macadamia nut borer and macadamia nut moth. It was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1882. The wingspan is 12–25 mm. It is an extremely variable species. The larvae feed on a wide range of plants. Recorded food plants are "Acacia confusa", "Acacia farnesiana", "Acacia koa", "Acacia koaia", "Alectryon macrococcus", "Caesalpinia kavaiensis", "Dodonaea viscosa", "Inga edulis", "Litchi chinensis",
Mauna Kea State Recreation Area. A band of ranch land on Mauna Kea's lower slopes was formerly "Acacia koa" – "Metrosideros polymorpha" (koa-ōhia) forest. Its destruction was driven by an influx of European and American settlers in the early 19th century, as extensive logging during the 1830s provided lumber for new homes. Vast swathes of the forest were burned and cleared for sugarcane plantations. Most of the houses on the island were built of koa, and those parts of the forest that survived became a source for firewood to power boilers on the sugarcane plantations and to heat homes. The once vast