Ethmia nigroapicella, commonly known as the kou leafworm, is a moth of the family Depressariidae. It is found in Madagascar, the Seychelles, India, Assam, Burma, Samoa, the Philippines, Hawaii, Taiwan, Japan and Australia.
The wingspan is . The forewings are overlaid with fifteen black dots on a grey background and a row of seven marginal dots. The hindwings are orange-yellow, but the apical patch is dark brown and covers one-seventh of the hindwing.[1]
The larvae feed on Ehretia species (including Ehretia dicksoni var. japonica, Ehretia laevis and Ehretia buxifolia), as well as on Cordia subcordata and Cordia sebestena.[2] [3]
This moth figures on a 25-cent stamp of Kiribati from 1980.[2]
. Elwood Zimmerman . 1978 . Insects of Hawaii . 9 Microlepidoptera . The University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu. 10125/7338 .