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Clepsicosma

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Clepsicosma is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae. As at 2022, this genus contains only one described species, Clepsicosma iridia, which is endemic to New Zealand. The species inhabits native forest in the North Island as well as the northern and western parts of the South Island down to Westland. The larval host of this species is assumed to be species of Cutty grass, possibly including Gahnia setifolia and Gahnia xanthocarpa, although the life history of this species is unknown. The adults of C. iridia are on the wing from December until May. They are nocturnal, and are attracted to li

Wikidata facts

Instance of
monotypic taxon
Parent taxon
Crambidae
Image
Clepsicosma iridia female.jpg
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endemic to
New Zealand
taxon name
Clepsicosma
taxon rank
genus
topic's main category
Category:Clepsicosma
Commons category
Clepsicosma
taxonomic type
Clepsicosma iridia
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Encyclopedic overview

6 sections
Contents
  • Taxonomy
  • Description
  • Distribution
  • Habitat and hosts
  • Behaviour
  • References

Clepsicosma is a genus of moths in the family Crambidae. As at 2022, this genus contains only one described species, Clepsicosma iridia, which is endemic to New Zealand. The species inhabits native forest in the North Island as well as the northern and western parts of the South Island down to Westland. The larval host of this species is assumed to be species of Cutty grass, possibly including Gahnia setifolia and Gahnia xanthocarpa, although the life history of this species is unknown. The adults of C. iridia are on the wing from December until May. They are nocturnal, and are attracted to light. During the day the adults rest on the underside of leaves, including those Cutty grass species that may possibly be their larval hosts.

==Taxonomy== thumb|left|Illustration of C. irida by Hudson. The genus and species were described by Edward Meyrick in 1888 using one female specimen collected in December in the Waitākere Ranges in the Auckland District. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. The female holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London. The epithet iridia derives from the Roman goddess of rainbows, Iris. The name refers to the wavy line of iridescent scales on the forewing of this species.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Clepsicosma” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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