Izatha katadiktya is a moth

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 known from the eastern South Island, and probably Hawkes Bay.

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 21–27.5 mm for males and 21.5–30 mm for females. Adults have been recorded in October, November and January.

Larvae feed on dead wood.

Etymology

The species name is from the Greek kata, implying a downward direction (towards the base), and diktyon (meaning a net) and refers to the net-like basal blotch on the forewing, which distinguishes this species from members of the picarella complex and from Izatha churtoni

Izatha churtoni

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....

.