Stigmella hoheriae facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stigmella hoheriae |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: |
Nepticulidae
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| Genus: |
Stigmella
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| Species: |
S. hoheriae
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| Binomial name | |
| Stigmella hoheriae Donner & Wilkinson, 1989
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The Stigmella hoheriae is a tiny moth found only in New Zealand. It belongs to a family of moths called Nepticulidae. This moth flies during the day, but it's so small that most people don't even notice it!
Contents
About the Stigmella hoheriae Moth
What Does It Look Like?
Adult Stigmella hoheriae moths are very small. Their wingspan, which is the distance from one wingtip to the other, is only about 6 to 8 millimeters. That's less than a centimeter!
Where Does It Live?
This moth is special because it is endemic to New Zealand. This means you won't find it naturally anywhere else in the world! It is quite common all over New Zealand.
Life Cycle of the Stigmella hoheriae Moth
The life of the Stigmella hoheriae moth is very interesting.
Eggs and Larvae
Female moths lay their tiny eggs on the surface of fresh, growing leaves of certain plants. When the eggs hatch, the larvae (which are like caterpillars) are very small, only 2 to 3 millimeters long. They are a pale, see-through green color.
These larvae are special because they are "leaf miners". This means they tunnel inside the leaves of their host plants, eating the leaf tissue as they go. Their tunnels look like blotches on the leaves, especially on the lower ones. The tunnels are narrow and twist around, but they usually avoid the main veins of the leaf. As they eat, they leave behind their waste, called frass, which looks like a straight line of tiny grains inside the tunnel.
You can find these larvae from February to August.
Cocoons and Adults
When a larva is ready to change into an adult moth, it spins a cocoon. The color of the silk depends on the plant it ate. Larvae found on Hoheria lyalli and H. glabrata make dark brown cocoons. Larvae on other Hoheria plants make pale whitish cocoons. The cocoon is usually hidden among the dead leaves and plant bits at the bottom of the plant.
Adult moths are mostly seen flying from August to November. However, they have also been spotted in February and from July to December. This suggests that there might be two generations of these moths each year!
Habitat and Host Plants
This tiny moth loves to live in native forests. The larvae of the Stigmella hoheriae moth feed on different types of Hoheria plants. These include:
