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
Koa wilt mortality rate over several years due to Koa wilt. It is also a legume, giving it the ability to form symbiosis with nitrogen fixing bacteria, which has led to efforts to use koa in agroecological systems with crops such as coffee and cacao. Ecologically, koa is an important species because it is one of the few native trees that remains dominant in alien mixed forests on the Hawaiian Islands. Invasive species make up the majority of the State's current plant population. Koa trees also are important because provide a habitat for many native bird species. Historically, there were once two