Izatha heroica
Encyclopedia
Izatha heroica is a moth
of the Oecophoridae
family. It is endemic to New Zealand
, where it is widespread in the South Island, but mainly in the west.
The wingspan
is 23–29 mm for males and 27–32 mm for females. Adults have been recorded in January, February and early March.
Larvae have been reared from erect dead Leptospermum
. The host may have been Kunzea ericoides or Leptospermum scoparium
, since both were placed in the Leptospermum genus at this time.
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 South Island, but mainly in the west.
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 23–29 mm for males and 27–32 mm for females. Adults have been recorded in January, February and early March.
Larvae have been reared from erect dead Leptospermum
Leptospermum
Leptospermum is a genus of about 80-86 species of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the greatest diversity in the south of the continent; but one species extends to New Zealand, another to Malaysia, and L. recurvum is endemic to Malaysia.They...
. The host may have been Kunzea ericoides or Leptospermum scoparium
Leptospermum scoparium
Leptospermum scoparium is a shrub or small tree native to New Zealand and southeast Australia. Evidence suggests that L. scoparium originated in Australia before the onset of the Miocene aridity and dispersed relatively recently from Eastern Australia to New Zealand. It is likely that on arrival...
, since both were placed in the Leptospermum genus at this time.