Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Phylum Arthropoda Rank Species | Subphylum Hexapoda Family Geometridae Genus Orthoclydon Order Butterflies and moths | |
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Orthoclydon praefectata, the flax looper moth or flax window maker, is a moth of the Geometridae family. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Contents
Description
Wing span 38–45 mm. The male moth is a pale brown and the female a glossy white.
Taxonomy
O. praefectata was first described by Francis Walker under the name Acidalia praefectata.
Distribution and habitat
The moth is widely distributed throughout New Zealand.
The habitat/food plant for this moth is the native flax Phormium tenax.
Eggs
Eggs are straw coloured and are laid on the underside of the flax leaf.
Larva
The caterpillar is a brown/green colour . It has with three dark red lines on its back, and a yellow line on each flank, When fully grown it is approximately 2.5 cm long.
Adult
Adult moths are seen in all the summer months.
References
Orthoclydon praefectata Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA