CARPOSINIDAE ⁵

Heterocrossa eriphylla (Meyrick, 1888). Endemic. Uncommon.

Habitat, seasonality and behaviour ⁶

This lichen mimic is a scarce moth inhabiting native forests throughout the north island. They rest on tree-trunks by day and can be attracted to artificial light during most months of the year.

Life history ⁶

The larva feeds on the callus tissue around wounds or plant galls caused by other insects in various situations, e.g. on the inner bark of beech, or in side-tunnels made by larvae of the Puriri Moth in wineberry. Pupation is in the feeding place.

Notes ⁶

This is the largest species in its genus; other Heterocrossa are similarly patterned on a pale brownish, white or grey or blackish background, and have larvae that feed on fruits and seeds (Hoare, 2014).

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Dougal Townsend, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Dougal Townsend
2. (c) Tony Steer, all rights reserved, uploaded by Tony Steer
3. George Vernon Hudson , no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fig_52_MA_I437623_TePapa_Plate-XXIV-The-butterflies_full_(cropped).jpg
4. (c) Tony Steer, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Tony Steer
5. Adapted by Tony Steer from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterocrossa_eriphylla
6. (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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