''Pyroderces aellotricha'', also known as the Cosmet moth, is a moth of the family Cosmopterigidae. It is found in New Zealand, in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and the Cook Islands.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1889 and named ''Proterocosma aellotricha''. Meyrick, when first describing the species, used two specimens collected in Hamilton in January. In 1915 Meyrick placed this species within the genus ''Pyroderces''. The female lectotype, collected in Hamilton, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

Description

Meyrick described the species as follows:

Distribution

This species is found in New Zealand, including at the Kermadec Islands, in Tasmania, Australia and in

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

in the Cook Islands. Other than its type locality it has also been collecting in Whangārei.

Hosts

The larvae of this species feed on ripening seed heads of

raupō ''Typha orientalis'', commonly known as bulrush, cumbungi, or raupō, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus ''Typha''. It is native to Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, China and the ...

, and stored maize cobs.

References

Moths described in 1889 aellotricha Moths of Australia Moths of New Zealand Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Moths of Oceania {{Cosmopteriginae-stub