Izatha churtoni
Encyclopedia
Izatha churtoni is a moth
of the Oecophoridae
family. It is endemic to New Zealand
, where it is widespread in the North Island.
The wingspan
is 18–31.5 mm for males and 24.5–30 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to February.
Larvae have been recorded in dead branches of Coriaria arborea. One specimen was reared from a larva in
dead Fuchsia excorticata
. Further rearing records are from dead wood of Alnus rubra, Quercus species and Pittosporum tenuifolium
.
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 in the North Island.
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 18–31.5 mm for males and 24.5–30 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to February.
Larvae have been recorded in dead branches of Coriaria arborea. One specimen was reared from a larva in
dead Fuchsia excorticata
Fuchsia excorticata
Fuchsia excorticata, the New Zealand Fuchsia also known as Kotukutuku, is a New Zealand native tree belonging to the family Onagraceae. It is found commonly throughout New Zealand and as far south as the Auckland Islands. It grows from sea level up to about 1,000 m, particularly alongside creeks...
. Further rearing records are from dead wood of Alnus rubra, Quercus species and Pittosporum tenuifolium
Pittosporum tenuifolium
Pittosporum tenuifolium is a small evergreen tree native to New Zealand, known by the Maori names kohuhu and kohukohu, or as Black Matipo . It is sometimes grown under the cultivar name 'Nigricans', so called because of its black stems...
.