MNESARCHAEIDAE ⁴

Mnesarchella fusilella (Walker, 1864). Endemic.

Habitat, seasonality and behaviour ⁴

Adults are on the wing from October to December in native forest. They are diurnal and can be seen flying in the sunshine on warm sunny days.

Life history ⁴

The larva constructs a silken web of tunnels throughout the open speces within the thick green periphyton
layer of wet rainforest. It feeds on moss leaves, hepatics, algal cells, fungal hyphae in this layer and is able to move
rapidly along its tunnel system (Gibbs & Kristensen (2019) Mnesarchaeidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Hepialoidea).

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Christopher Stephens, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Christopher Stephens
2. (c) Stephen Thorpe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Stephen Thorpe
3. George Vernon Hudson , no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fig_23_Mnesarchella_fusilella_MA_I437900_TePapa_Plate-XXXIX-The-butterflies_full_(cropped).jpg
4. (c) Tony Steer, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNaturalist NZ taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants

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