Introduction ²

Rhapsa scotosialis, commonly known as the slender owlet moth, is a moth of the Erebidae family. It was described by Francis Walker in 1866 from specimens collected in Auckland. R. scotosialis is one of the most common forest moths found in New Zealand.

Life History ³

Caterpillars feed on litter of shrubs: Passiflora sp. 'banana passion fruit', Passifloraceae (Passion fruit family), Malpighiales, Magnoliopsida, Spermatophyta. Biostatus: Piper excelsum G.Forst., Piperaceae (Pepper family), Piperales, Magnoliopsida, Spermatophyta. Biostatus: Endemic, Wild, New Zealand

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Tony Steer, all rights reserved, uploaded by Tony Steer
2. Adapted by Tony Steer from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhapsa_scotosialis
3. (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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