Hyposmocoma unicolor
Encyclopedia
Hyposmocoma unicolor is a species of moth
of the Cosmopterigidae
family. It is endemic to Molokai
and possibly Kauai
and Oahu
.
Larvae of what were considered to be this species were discovered in the dead wood of Acacia koa, Alectryon
, Bidens
, Cheirodendron
, Clermontia, Elaeocarpus bifidus, Freycinetia
, Diospyros
and Wikstroemia
. All of the hostplant records are from Dr. Swezey, and may include details of more than one species.
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 Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera order. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds, stems, etc of their host plants. There are about 1,500 described species...
family. It is endemic to Molokai
Molokai
Molokai or Molokai is an island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is 38 by 10 miles in size with a land area of , making it the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian Islands and the 27th largest island in the United States. It lies east of Oahu across the 25-mile wide Kaiwi Channel and north of...
and possibly Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
and Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
.
Larvae of what were considered to be this species were discovered in the dead wood of Acacia koa, Alectryon
Alectryon (genus)
Alectryon is a genus of trees in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. The genus is distributed across Australasia, Micronesia and Southeast Asia. The genus is found in a wide variety of environments from rainforests and gallery forests to arid savannas and heaths.Species height varies form low shrubs...
, Bidens
Bidens
Bidens is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It contains about 200 species. The common names beggarticks, black jack, bur-marigolds, stickseeds, tickseeds and tickseed sunflowers refer to the achene burrs on the seeds of this genus, most of which are barbed...
, Cheirodendron
Cheirodendron
Cheirodendron is a genus of flowering plant in the ivy family, Araliaceae. All six species in the genus are endemic to Polynesia. The five Hawaiian species are generally called ōlapa, and occur in wet forests on all major islands as well as some mesic forests, such as Kipuka...
, Clermontia, Elaeocarpus bifidus, Freycinetia
Freycinetia
Freycinetia is a genus of about 150-180 species of flowering plants native to the tropics of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, belonging to the family Pandanaceae. The genus was named for Admiral Louis de Freycinet, a 19th-century French explorer...
, Diospyros
Diospyros
Diospyros is a genus of about 450–500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. The majority are native to the tropics, with only a few species extending into temperate regions. They are commonly known as ebony or persimmon trees...
and Wikstroemia
Wikstroemia
Wikstroemia is a genus of 55-70 species of flowering shrubs and small trees in the mezereon family, Thymelaeaceae.-Medicinal uses:Wikstroemia indica is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine.-Species:...
. All of the hostplant records are from Dr. Swezey, and may include details of more than one species.