Yellow featherfoot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow featherfoot |
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| Scientific classification | |
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Stathmopodidae
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| Genus: |
Stathmopoda
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S. skelloni
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| Stathmopoda skelloni (Butler, 1880)
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Stathmopoda skelloni, also called the yellow featherfoot, is a type of moth. It belongs to the Stathmopodidae family. This special moth is found only in New Zealand, which means it is endemic there.
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How the Yellow Featherfoot Moth Got its Name
This moth was first described in 1880 by a scientist named Arthur Gardiner Butler. He gave it the name Boocara skelloni. Butler named the moth after William Skellon. Mr. Skellon had sent many insect samples he collected in Blenheim to Butler.
Later, in 1889, another scientist, Edward Meyrick, moved this moth into a different group, the Stathmopoda genus. The original moth sample used to describe the species, called the type specimen, is kept at the Natural History Museum in London. People often call this moth the yellow featherfoot.
Sometimes, the name skelloni was mistakenly used for a similar moth, S. horticola. You can tell them apart because S. horticola has more markings on its front wings.
What Does the Yellow Featherfoot Moth Look Like?
These moths are usually between 12 to 15 millimeters long. Their head, mouthparts (palpi), and antennae are a pale whitish-yellow color. The body (thorax and abdomen) is also pale whitish-yellow, sometimes with a hint of grey.
Their legs are pale whitish-yellow. The front legs might be a bit darker, and the tips of the back legs can be grey. The front wings are long and very narrow, widest near the body. They come to a long point.
The wings are whitish-yellow, sometimes with a yellowish tint. They have grey markings that can change a lot from one moth to another. These markings might include a long spot on the inner edge, another spot near the middle, and more spots towards the wing tip. These spots can sometimes connect together. The wing edges (cilia) are light grey, sometimes with a yellowish tint. The back wings and their edges are light grey.
Where Does This Moth Live?
The yellow featherfoot moth is found only in New Zealand. You can find it in many places across the country. These include Taranaki, Wellington, Blenheim, Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin, Lake Wakatipu, and Invercargill.
Its Home and Environment
S. skelloni lives in many different types of places. It can be found in native forests, along coastal sand dunes, and in areas with shrubs. You might also spot it in cultivated gardens and fruit orchards.
