''Scoparia molifera'', also known as the leather-leaf Scoparia, is a species of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

of the family Crambidae. This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1926 and is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It can be found in the North and South Islands. The larvae of this species make silk tunnels from which they mine the leaves of their host, the leather-leaf fern '' Pyrrosia eleagnifolia''. Adult moths are on wing from December to February and are attracted to light.

Taxonomy

This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1926 using a specimen collected by George Hudson on the banks of the Manawatu River in Ashhurst and named ''Scoparia molifera''. Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 book ''The butterflies and moths of New Zealand''. John S. Dugdale discussed this species under the name ''S. molifera'' in his 1988 catalogue of New Zealand Lepidoptera. However the placement of this species within the genus ''Scoparia'' is in doubt. As a result, this species has also been referred to as ''Scoparia'' (s.l.) ''molifera''. The female

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...

specimen is held at the

Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

Description

When mature, the larva of ''S. molifera'' are approximately 20 mm long and are spotted. Meyrick described the adult male of this species as follows: Meyrick regarded this as a very distinct species.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. This species can be found in the North and South Islands and has been collected at

Cape Palliser Cape Palliser is a promontory on the southern coast of New Zealand's North Island and is the southernmost point of the North Island; it is in fact considerably farther south than Nelson or Blenheim in the South Island. It is located at the easte ...

in the Wellington Region, in the

Canterbury Region Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current fo ...

including the

Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves. The South Island's largest cit ...

, in the Otago Region and in The Catlins.

Behaviour

The larvae of this species make silk tunnels from which they mine the leaves of their host. Larvae do not camouflage their feeding damage. The larvae pupate within these tunnels surrounded by the silk, mined leaves, and

frass Frass refers loosely to the more or less solid excreta of insects, and to certain other related matter. Definition and etymology ''Frass'' is an informal term and accordingly it is variously used and variously defined. It is derived from the ...

. The larvae can be found from June to August. Adults have been recorded on wing from December to February. Adults are attracted to light.

Host species

The larval host of this species is the leather-leaf fern '' Pyrrosia eleagnifolia''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14324409 Moths described in 1926 Moths of New Zealand Scorparia Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Endemic moths of New Zealand