Stigmella cassiniae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stigmella cassiniae |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: |
Nepticulidae
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| Genus: |
Stigmella
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| Species: |
S. cassiniae
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| Binomial name | |
| Stigmella cassiniae Donner & Wilkinson, 1989
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The Stigmella cassiniae is a very small moth that lives only in New Zealand. It is part of the Nepticulidae family, which includes some of the tiniest moths in the world.
Contents
About the Stigmella Cassiniae Moth
Where This Moth Lives
This special moth, Stigmella cassiniae, is found only in New Zealand. This means it is an endemic species, naturally living nowhere else on Earth.
What the Moth Looks Like and Its Life Cycle
The adult Stigmella cassiniae moth is quite small. Its front wings are usually about 2 to 3 millimeters long. Adult moths can be seen flying during different times of the year, including January, February, April, and October. Moths that were raised by scientists came out in August, September, and November. It is thought that these moths have two full generations each year.
What the Larvae Eat
The young moths, called larvae, eat the leaves of plants from the Cassinia species. These larvae are known as leaf miners. This means they dig tunnels and eat inside the leaves of their host plant.
When a larva first starts eating, its tunnel in the leaf is round. Later, it eats almost the entire inside of a leaflet. The larva then tunnels through the plant's stem to reach another leaflet nearby. One larva might eat up to five leaflets before it grows up.
The larvae have been seen in May, July, August, and October. They are also small, measuring about 2 to 3 millimeters long, and have an orange-brown color. When a larva is ready to change into an adult moth, it spins a cocoon. This cocoon is usually found hidden among bits of leaves and other plant material on the ground.
