Hygraula nitens

Hygraula nitens
Hygraula nitens photographed in Aranda, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Crambidae
Genus:	Hygraula
Species:	H. nitens
Binomial name
Hygraula nitens (Butler, 1880) [1]
Synonyms
Paraponyx nitensButler, 1880 Nymphula nitens (Butler, 1880)

Hygraula nitens, the pond moth or Australian water moth, is a species of moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1880. It is found in New Zealand ^[2] and most of Australia, including Tasmania.

The wingspan is about 25 mm.

The caterpillars of this species live underwater. The larvae feed on Potamogeton crispus and Zostera species. ^[3] They also feed on other alien macrophytes such as Hydrilla verticillata , Lagarosiphon major , and Ceratophyllum demersum . ^[4]

References

1. "GlobIZ search". Global Information System on Pyraloidea. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
2. "NZOR (Web Service Demonstrator)". Archived from the original on 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
3. Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley (February 17, 2008). "Hygraula nitens". uts.edu.au. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
4. Redekop, Petra; Gross, Elisabeth M.; Nuttens, Andréïna; Hofstra, Deborah E.; Clayton, John S.; Hussner, Andreas (2016-04-18). "Hygraula nitens, the only native aquatic caterpillar in New Zealand, prefers feeding on an alien submerged plant". Hydrobiologia. 812 (1): 13–25. doi:10.1007/s10750-016-2709-7. ISSN   0018-8158.