Asterivora microlitha
Encyclopedia
Asterivora microlitha is a moth
of the Choreutidae
family. It is known from New Zealand
.
The wingspan
is 9–10 mm. The head and thorax are irrorated with white above and the antennae are dotted with white. The abdomen has strongly white segmental margins. The forewings are more narrowed towards the base than in similar species Asterivora ministra
. Furthermore, the fasciae of white irroration are more strongly marked, the fourth is slender, but more sharply marked and brightly silvery-metallic above the discal mark and at the apex of the dorsal section. The hindwings have a white streak which is slender, regular and well-marked.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Choreutidae
Choreutidae
Choreutidae, or "metalmark moths," are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order whose relationships have been long disputed. It was placed previously in the superfamily Yponomeutoidea in family Glyphipterigidae and in superfamily Sesioidea. It is now considered to represent its own superfamily...
family. It is known from New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 9–10 mm. The head and thorax are irrorated with white above and the antennae are dotted with white. The abdomen has strongly white segmental margins. The forewings are more narrowed towards the base than in similar species Asterivora ministra
Asterivora ministra
Asterivora ministra is a moth of the Choreutidae family. It is known from New Zealand.The wingspan is about 9 mm. The head is dark fuscous and the face sprinkled with white. The antennae are dark fuscous and the thorax is dark fuscous. The abdomen is also dark fuscous, but the segmental margins are...
. Furthermore, the fasciae of white irroration are more strongly marked, the fourth is slender, but more sharply marked and brightly silvery-metallic above the discal mark and at the apex of the dorsal section. The hindwings have a white streak which is slender, regular and well-marked.