These moths are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The caterpillar is often referred to as a 'looper' because of its' inchworm movements. The caterpillars eat Koa (Acacia koa) phyllodes (which look like leaves). Population explosions have been documented on Maui and Hawaii but the outbreak in 2013 on Hawaii caused the largest defoliation of Koa ever documented (35,000 acres). In 2013 they also defoliated stands of Albizia trees (non-native) near Akaka Falls. This is the first time that defoliation of a species besides Koa has been observed. Koa trees usually recover unless they are under other stress. This moth was in one of the buidlings at Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge at around 6300ft. The trees in this area were not defoliated but scraping of the phyllodes and missing sections near the margin were common. The last outbreak on Hawaii island was in the 1950's.