Asterivora analoga facts for kids

The Asterivora analoga is a tiny moth that belongs to the family Choreutidae. This special moth is found only in New Zealand, meaning it is endemic to that country. It was first described in 1912 by Edward Meyrick, a famous entomologist.

Discovering the Asterivora Analoga Moth

This fascinating moth is a unique part of New Zealand's wildlife. It's a great example of how different species can be found only in certain places around the world. Scientists study moths like the Asterivora analoga to understand more about our planet's amazing biodiversity.

What Does This Moth Look Like?

The Asterivora analoga is quite small, with a wingspan of about 8 to 9 millimeters. That's less than half an inch! Even though it's tiny, it has some cool features.

Body Features

• Head: The head of this moth is mostly dark brownish-grey. The face and sides of its head have tiny white speckles.
• Antennae: Its antennae are also dark brownish-grey, but they have small white dots along them.
• Thorax: The part of its body where the wings attach, called the thorax, is dark brownish-grey and has some white sprinkles.
• Abdomen: The abdomen, which is the main body section, is dark brownish-grey. However, the edges of each body segment are clearly white, making a striped pattern.

Wing Patterns

The wings of the Asterivora analoga are very interesting.

• Forewings: The front wings are a dark, shiny brownish-grey color. They are shaped like a long triangle.
  • The front edge (costa) is slightly curved.
  • The tip (apex) is rounded.
  • The outer edge (termen) is also a bit rounded and slopes slightly.
  • These wings have three curved, cloudy lines made of white speckles on the front half.
  • There's also a white line further back that forms a square-like loop. Inside this loop, there's a white mark.
  • The top part of this loop looks shiny and metallic, like silver.
  • You might also spot a tiny silver-metallic dot near the bottom of the wing.
• Hindwings: The back wings are brownish-grey, becoming darker towards the back.
  • They have a very short, white mark near the middle of the outer edge.
  • Sometimes, there's also a small white dot at the very bottom corner of the wing (the tornus).