Hyposmocoma aumakuawai
Encyclopedia
Hyposmocoma aumakuawai is a species of moth
of the Cosmopterigidae
family. It is endemic to Kauai
. The species belongs to the amphibious caterpillar
guild of the Hyposmocoma
genus.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera order. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds, stems, etc of their host plants. There are about 1,500 described species...
family. It is endemic to Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
. The species belongs to the amphibious caterpillar
Amphibious caterpillar
Amphibious caterpillar refers to 12 as-yet unnamed species of caterpillars endemic to Hawaii are the only insects that live as readily in water as on land. In 2010, Daniel Rubinoff and Patrick Schmitz at the University of Hawaii at Manoa first described the amphibious habits of the larvae in the...
guild of the Hyposmocoma
Hyposmocoma
Hyposmocoma is a large and diverse genus of moths with 320-350 known species that have adapted to nearly every ecological niche on the Hawaiian Islands. Most species have plant-based diets. In four species of Hyposmocoma caterpillars spin silk that they use to capture snails, on which they prey...
genus.