Izatha austera
Encyclopedia
Izatha austera is a moth
of the Oecophoridae
family. It is endemic to New Zealand
, where it is widespread throughout the North Island, with a single South Island record from north-west Nelson.
The wingspan
is 13–19 mm for males and 16.5–25 mm for females. Adults are on wing from December to February.
Larvae feed during the winter in dead wood, including moist logs on the forest floor, and drier standing dead wood. They have been recorded from dead branches of Aristotelia serrata, Coprosma grandifolia and probably Coprosma robusta, Cordyline australis, Coriaria arborea, Laurelia novae-zelandiae
, Litsea calicaris, Melicytus ramiflorus
and Olearia rani
. They tunnel into the wood and produce copious frass
, which is often conspicuous on the outside of the affected branch. Many larvae often occur together in a single branch or log.
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 Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this....
family. It is endemic to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where it is widespread throughout the North Island, with a single South Island record from north-west Nelson.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 13–19 mm for males and 16.5–25 mm for females. Adults are on wing from December to February.
Larvae feed during the winter in dead wood, including moist logs on the forest floor, and drier standing dead wood. They have been recorded from dead branches of Aristotelia serrata, Coprosma grandifolia and probably Coprosma robusta, Cordyline australis, Coriaria arborea, Laurelia novae-zelandiae
Laurelia novae-zelandiae
Laurelia novae-zelandiae, also called Pukatea, is a large laurifolia evergreen tree, endemic to the forests of New Zealand . with so-called 'toothed' leaves and producing small flowers...
, Litsea calicaris, Melicytus ramiflorus
Melicytus ramiflorus
Melicytus ramiflorus is a small tree of the family Violaceae endemic to New Zealand.It grows up to 10 metres high with a trunk up to 60 cm in diameter, it has smooth, whitish bark and brittle twigs...
and Olearia rani
Olearia rani
Olearia rani, or Heketara as it is known in Maori is a common small forest tree of New Zealand. It grows in lowland forest throughout the North Island and in the northern half of the South Island....
. They tunnel into the wood and produce copious frass
Frass
Frass is the fine powdery material phytophagous insects pass as waste after digesting plant parts. It causes plants to excrete chitinase due to high chitin levels, it is a natural bloom stimulant, and has high nutrient levels. Frass is known to have abundant amoeba, beneficial bacteria, and fungi...
, which is often conspicuous on the outside of the affected branch. Many larvae often occur together in a single branch or log.