MICROPTERIGIDAE: Mandibulate Archaic Moths ⁴

Sabatinca lucilia (Clarke, 1920). Endemic.

Habitat, seasonality and behaviour ⁵

Found on moist ferny banks in a variety of forest types from kauri and kanuka to Nothogagus. Adults are on the wing from December through early March. They can occasionally be attracted to light traps in native forest.

Life history ⁵

Larval habitat consists of the dense carpet of bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) that smothers suitable substrates in damp semi-shaded forest environments. Host plant specificity is unknown.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Tony Steer, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Tony Steer
2. George Vernon Hudson , no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fig_9_MA_I437910_TePapa_Plate-XLIX-The-butterflies_full_(cropped).jpg
3. Neville Hudson, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sabatinca_lucilia.jpg
4. Adapted by Tony Steer from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabatinca_lucilia
5. (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

iNaturalist NZ Map