Puneet Varma (Editor)

Zealandopterix zonodoxa

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Kingdom
  
Animalia

Class
  
Insecta

Family
  
Micropterigidae

Scientific name
  
Zealandopterix zonodoxa

Phylum
  
Arthropoda

Order
  
Lepidoptera

Genus
  
Zealandopterix

Rank
  
Species

Zealandopterix zonodoxa

Zealandopterix zonodoxa is a moth of the Micropterigidae family. It is known from the northern North Island of New Zealand, from Te Paki south to Puketitri, Hawkes Bay and including Poor Knights, Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands. It inhabits a wide variety of moist indigenous forest types but usually with podocarps.

Adults have been found between September and March.

The forewing length is 2.6 millimetres (0.10 in) for males and 3 millimetres (0.12 in) for females. The forewing ground colour is dark brownish-black with strong purplish-bronze reflections. There is a maximum of five and a minimum of three shining white fasciae comprising: a short basal triangular streak, which is consistently present, in the centre of the wing, contiguous with the tegula. Secondly, a transverse band at mid-length, either as a continuous broad line or only partly represented in the form of either a bold triangular patch on the dorsum or triangular patches on both the costa and the dorsum. Furthermore, a much smaller costal patch and a few white scales in the apex present in all specimens. The fringes are long along the termen and largely dark brownish-black, white-tipped and wholly white around the apex. The hindwing is greyish-brown with bronzy-purple reflections. The fringes are grey-brown.

Larvae have been sieved from rotten wood on the floor of a mixed podocarp/broadleaf forest or extracted from moss or from bryophytes on a ditch wall.

References

Zealandopterix zonodoxa Wikipedia