Heterocrossa exochana facts for kids

Heterocrossa exochana is a species of moth in the family Carposinidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.

Taxonomy

This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1888 using material he collected in Nelson in January. In 1922 Meyrick classified Heterocrossa as a synonym of the genus Carposina. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 publication The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. In 1978 Elwood Zimmerman argued that the genus Heterocrassa should not be a synonym of Carposina as the genitalia of the species within the genus Heterocrassa are distinctive. In 1988 John S. Dugdale assigned the species back to the genus Heterocrossa. The holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

Description

This species was described by Meyrick as follows:

Female. — 21 mm. Head and thorax ochreous-white. Palpi with upper longitudinal half ochreous-white, lower dark fuscous. Antennas, abdomen, and legs ochreous-whitish, anterior legs suffused with dark fuscous. Forewings elongate, scarcely dilated, costa moderately arched, apex round-pointed, hind-margin faintly sinuate, rather strongly oblique ; pale whitish-ochreous ; about ten small irregular scattered black dots in disc ; a subterminal series of irregular cloudy black dots, obsolete towards costa and inner margin : cilia pale whitish-ochreous. Hindwings and cilia ochreous-whitish.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. Other than its type locality of Nelson, this species has been collected in Masterton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill. The species has also been collected in Fiordland and Hawkes Bay.

Biology and behaviour

The adults of this moth are on the wing in from September to May. This species is attracted to light.

Host species

The larvae of this species feed on the fruits of Muehlenbeckia species.

Images for kids

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  Illustration of H. exochana by George Hudson.