Scoparia niphospora facts for kids
Scoparia niphospora is a small moth that belongs to the Crambidae family. This special moth is found only in New Zealand, meaning it is endemic to that country. It's a fascinating insect that scientists continue to study!
Quick facts for kids Scoparia niphospora |
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Scoparia
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S. niphospora
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| Scoparia niphospora (Meyrick, 1884)
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Discovering the Scoparia niphospora Moth
This moth was first described by a scientist named Edward Meyrick in 1884. He wrote down its features and gave it its scientific name. A year later, in 1885, Meyrick shared even more details about this moth.
In 1913, Meyrick placed this moth into a group called Scoparia. However, some scientists are still studying if this is the best group for it. Because of this, you might sometimes see its name written as Scoparia (s.l.) niphospora. The "s.l." part means "in the broad sense," showing that its exact group is still being looked at.
What Does the Scoparia niphospora Moth Look Like?
The Scoparia niphospora moth is quite small. Its wingspan (the distance from one wingtip to the other) is about 26 to 29 millimeters. That's roughly the length of a few small coins lined up!
Its front wings are a light grayish-yellow color. They have tiny white specks all over, except along the front edge. This front edge, called the costa, is a darker brownish-black color with a few scattered dark scales. You might also see some of the wing veins marked with dark brownish-black towards the back. There's a line of small black dots along the back edge of the wings.
The back wings of the moth are a very pale whitish-yellow. These moths have been seen flying around in January, which is when they are active as adults.
Images for kids
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An observation of S. niphospora.
