Philocryptica facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Philocryptica
Philocryptica polypodii illustration by Des Helmore
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Tortricidae
Subfamily:	Tortricinae
Genus:	Philocryptica Meyrick, 1923
Species:	P. polypodii
Binomial name
Philocryptica polypodii (Watt, 1921)
Synonyms
Harmologa polypodii Watt, 1921

Philocryptica is a special group of moths. It has only one known species, called Philocryptica polypodii. This moth is also known as the leather-leaf star-miner. You can find this unique moth in New Zealand. It lives on both the North Island and the South Island.

What the Moth Looks Like

The Philocryptica polypodii moth is quite small. Its wingspan is about 10 mm. This is roughly the size of a small button.

The front wings of the moth are light brown. They have a reddish-brown color near the tips.

Life Cycle and How it Eats

The young moths are called larvae or caterpillars. These larvae are special because they are leaf miners. This means they live inside plant leaves and eat them from the inside!

The larvae of the leather-leaf star-miner moth feed on a plant called Pyrrosia eleagnifolia. This plant is a type of fern.

When the larvae are young, they make several small tunnels. These tunnels spread out from the base of the leaf. As they grow bigger, the larvae create a larger, blotchy area inside the leaf. Full-grown larvae can be about 12 to 14 mm long.

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