Ichneutica insignis is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species is found throughout New Zealand, although it appears to be scarce in inland sites of tussock grasslands. The adults are on the wing throughout the year. It is a variable species and as such can be easily confused with I. skelloni and I. plena. The larvae of this species have been recorded as feeding on Trifolium pratense.
Sabatinca demissa is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the northern half of the North Island. The larvae of this species are small in size and are coloured pale green with darker green or black patches on the rear of its body. The adult moth is coloured yellow-brown with black dots on its forewings. It is a small moth with a wingspan of approximately 6.5 mm in length. Unlike many species of moth, it does not have a pheromone communication system. The adults of the species are on the wing from November to January. The larvae of this species feed on leafy types of liverwort. The adults of this species feed on the spores of fertile cones of Lycopodium volubile and Lycopodium scariosum.
Sabatinca calliarcha is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1912. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is found in two separate areas of New Zealand - the first in the norther parts of the North Island including Great Barrier Island and the second population can be found from the top of the South Island down to Southland. The adults of the species are on the wing from the end of September until the middle of January. The species prefers to inhabit damp forests and larvae likely feed on leafy liverwort species. Adult moths likely feed on the spores of ferns or the pollen of sedge grasses.
Izatha prasophyta is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it is known from the North Island, except Hawkes Bay or the Wairarapa. Larvae likely feed on rotting wood although larvae of this species have been reared on the fruiting body of the bracket fungus Bjerkandera adusta. Adults are on the wing from November to February.
Ischalis variabilis is a species of moth in the family Geometridae first described by William Warren in 1895. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it is widespread in the North and South islands.
Metacrias strategica is a species of moth in the family Erebidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand where it is known from the southern part of the South Island. The female of the species is flightless and pale brown, grey or yellowish-brown in colour where as the male is brightly coloured and flies during the day.
Heterocrossa adreptella is a moth of the Carposinidae family. This species was long considered the New Zealand raspberry budmoth however this was a taxonomic misinterpretation of the type material used to describe this species. This error was corrected in 1988 with the New Zealand raspberry budmoth giving its own species name Heterocrossa rubophaga. H. adreptella is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in the Wellington Botanic Garden and been observed resting on mānuka branches.
Heterocrossa epomiana is a species moth in the family Carposinidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Heterocrossa gonosemana is a species of moth in the family Carposinidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Heterocrossa iophaea is a species of moth in the family Carposinidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Agriophara colligatella, also known as the Olearia Skeletoniser, is a moth of the family Depressariidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found on both the North and South Islands. This species inhabits native scrub. Larvae feed on the leaves of species in the genus Olearia during the months of November and December. They then pupate amongst the old flowers and leaves of their host plant. Adults have been observed on the wing from August to September but are most common in January. It has been hypothesised that this species overwinters as an adult as it has been observed on the wing in late autumn and early winter. Adults are attracted to light.
Ichneutica purdii, the orange astelia wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It can be found throughout the main islands of New Zealand. I. purdii is a relatively large, colourful moth, unlikely to be confused with any other endemic moth species in New Zealand. The larvae of this moth feed at night on species of Astelia. During the day they shelter in the interior of the plant. When fully grown the larvae can reach a length of approximately 48mm. The larvae are ocherous in colour with a pink flush with line markings but when ready to pupate these markings fade and the larvae take on a light golden hue with a rosy tinge to its rear segments. The deep wine coloured pupa is enclosed in a slight cocoon, with this being constructed below the soil, amongst debris or alternatively within a hollow stick. The adult moths are on the wing from October to March. Although this moth is found throughout the main islands of New Zealand it is more frequent in the south of New Zealand at higher altitudes of up to 1200m.
Hierodoris electrica is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1889. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it has been reported from the northern and southern parts of the South Island. The larva of H. electrica has yet to be described. The wingspan is between 15 and 16.5 mm. The ground colour of the forewings is dark brown, with narrow yellow scales overlaying this base colour. The hindwings are brown. The known larval host species is Olearia nummulariifolia.
Heterocrossa is a genus of moths in the Carposinidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. This genus was previously regarded as a synonym of the genus Carposina. However Elwood C. Zimmerman in Insects of Hawaii removed Heterocrossa from synonymy with Carposina. Zimmerman argued that as the genitalia of Heterocrossa and Carposina are distinct, Heterocrossa should not be regarded as a synonym of Carposina. This was agreed with by John S. Dugdale in his annotated catalogue of New Zealand lepidoptera.
Physetica homoscia is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout New Zealand including in the Auckland Islands. This species inhabits places where its host plants are common and this includes costal dune habitat. It lives at a wide range of altitudes from sea-level up to at least 1750 m. The larvae of P. homoscia feed on Ozothamnus leptophyllus and Ozothamnus vauvilliersii. They are very active and drop to the ground when disturbed. Larvae are parasitised by a species of fly. This species pupates in the soil and the pupa life stage lasts for approximately 6 weeks. The adult moths are on the wing from September to June and are attracted to light. The adults of P. homoscia might possibly be confused with Ichneutica moderata however this latter species lacks the small white dots on the forewing veins of P. homoscia. Adults might also be confused with P. temperata but P. homoscia is significantly larger in size.
Proteodes carnifex is a species of moth in the family Depressariidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Both the larvae and the adults of this species are variable in appearance. However the adults are normally easily identified as the outline is characteristic and the size is consistent. In appearance, adult moths mimic the leaves of their larval host plants. This species has been found near Wellington in the North Island, the tableland of Mount Arthur, in the Canterbury region, Arthur's Pass and at Lake Wakatipu in the South Island. The larval hosts of this species are southern beech trees particularly Nothofagus solandri var. solandari and Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides but larvae have also been found on Nothofagus fusca, Nothofagus truncata and Nothofagus menziesii. The female moth deposits her eggs individually on the underside of native beech tree leaves. Once hatched the larvae feed on those leaves through winter and spring and then pupate in January. The adult moth emerges from the pupa after fourteen days and is on the wing from January until April. They are day flying moths and are not attracted to light. Various insects parasitise the larvae of this moth including several species of wasp as well as flies including the endemic fly, Pales funesta.
Hierodoris callispora is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found throughout the country from south of the Bay of Plenty. This species inhabits native beech forest. Adults of the species have been found where Muehlenbeckia is common. Adults have also been collected from the flowers of Kunzea ericoides. However the larval host is unconfirmed although it has been hypothesised that larvae of this species feed on Kunzea ericoides flowers. Adults of this species can be distinguished by its orange ruff that contrasts with its dark head and thorax. There is a colour form that exists that has orange scales and an orange coloured fringe on the hindwing. Adults have been collected in December and January and are day flying but are also attracted to light at night. A female specimen has been found with a larva in her oviduct suggesting that this species may give birth to larval young.
Thylacosceles acridomima is a moth of the family Stathmopodidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1889.
Trachypepla lichenodes is a moth of the family Oecophoridae first described by Edward Meyrick in 1883. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been found in both the North and South Islands. It inhabits native forest and adults of this species are on the wing from November to January. The adult moths are similarly coloured to native lichen species however this colouration is variable in the extent and depth on the forewings.
Orthenches chlorocoma is a moth of the family Plutellidae first described by Edward Meyrick in 1885. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the North and South Islands.
