Asterivora colpota facts for kids

Asterivora colpota is a small moth that belongs to the Choreutidae family. It was first described by a scientist named Edward Meyrick in 1911. This moth is special because it is only found in New Zealand.

About the Asterivora Colpota Moth

The Asterivora colpota is a fascinating insect. It is a type of moth, which means it is related to butterflies. Moths are known for flying mostly at night. They play an important role in nature, often helping to pollinate plants.

What Does It Look Like?

This moth is quite small. Its wingspan is about 13 millimeters (which is a little over half an inch). The head and body (thorax) of the moth are a dark, shiny brownish-gray color. They have tiny white speckles.

• Antennae: The antennae, which are like feelers, are black with white rings.
• Abdomen: The main part of its body (abdomen) is also dark, but the edges of its body segments are brownish.
• Forewings: The front wings are long and somewhat slanted. They are dark brownish-gray and get a bit wider towards the back. The tips are rounded. These wings have fine white speckles, especially near the base and the ends. You can also see two wavy lines of white speckles across the middle. Another white line starts from a white spot on the wing's edge. There's also a white line that ends with a white dot, and a thicker, lighter area of white speckles near the outer edge.
• Hindwings: The back wings are dark gray. The outer half of these wings is even darker, almost black. On the lower part of the hindwings, there are two parallel lines of white speckles that run towards the outer edge.

Where Does It Live?

The Asterivora colpota moth is native to New Zealand. This means it naturally lives there and nowhere else in the world. New Zealand is famous for its unique wildlife, and this moth is one of its special inhabitants.

Images for kids

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  Female holotype specimen of A. colpota.

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  Female A. colpota as illustrated by George Hudson.