Opogona aurisquamosa
Encyclopedia
Opogona aurisquamosa is a moth
of the Tineidae
family. It has been recorded from Pacific, including Easter Island
, the Marquesas, the Society Islands
, Fiji
, the Kermadec Islands
and Hawaii
. It may have been dispersed by the Polynesians as well as by Europeans.
Adults are bronzy-yellowish with violet or purplish metallic reflections, particularly in the forewings. The wings are somewhat bent down at the tips.
The larvae are scavengers and have been reared from dead or decayed materials including Alectryon macrococcus
, Bambusa
, banana, Ricinus communis, Clermontia, decayed fruits, dry cow dung, palm fronds, Pipturus
, rotten wood, Sicana odorifera
, sugarcane and Thespesia populnea. The full-grown larva is 15-18 mm. long and dull dirty white.
The pupa is 6-6.5 mm in length and light brown. The pupa is formed in a compact cocoon made in the place where the larva has fed. The cocoon is about 8 mm long and covered with frass and other debris.
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 Tineidae
Tineidae
Tineidae is a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera. Collectively, they are known as fungus moths or tineid moths. The family contains considerably more than 3,000 species in over 300 genera. Most of the tineid moths are small or medium-sized, with wings held roofwise over the body at rest...
family. It has been recorded from Pacific, including Easter Island
Easter Island
Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
, the Marquesas, the Society Islands
Society Islands
The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, the Kermadec Islands
Kermadec Islands
The Kermadec Islands are a subtropical island arc in the South Pacific Ocean northeast of New Zealand's North Island, and a similar distance southwest of Tonga...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. It may have been dispersed by the Polynesians as well as by Europeans.
Adults are bronzy-yellowish with violet or purplish metallic reflections, particularly in the forewings. The wings are somewhat bent down at the tips.
The larvae are scavengers and have been reared from dead or decayed materials including Alectryon macrococcus
Alectryon macrococcus
Alectryon macrococcus, known as Alaalahua or Māhoe in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering tree in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. A. macrococcus var. macrococcus inhabits mesic forests at elevations of on Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and western Maui. A. macrococcus var...
, Bambusa
Bambusa
Bambusa is a large genus of clumping bamboos. These species are usually giant ones, with numerous branches at a node and one or two much larger than the rest...
, banana, Ricinus communis, Clermontia, decayed fruits, dry cow dung, palm fronds, Pipturus
Pipturus
Pipturus is a flowering plant genus in the nettle family, Urticaceae.-Selected species:* Pipturus albidus A.Gray ex H.Mann – Māmaki * Pipturus arborescens C.B.Rob., 1911...
, rotten wood, Sicana odorifera
Sicana odorifera
Sicana odorifera, the only species of the genus Sicana, is a large, herbaceous perennial vine native to tropical South America, grown as an ornamental plant and for its sweet edible fruit...
, sugarcane and Thespesia populnea. The full-grown larva is 15-18 mm. long and dull dirty white.
The pupa is 6-6.5 mm in length and light brown. The pupa is formed in a compact cocoon made in the place where the larva has fed. The cocoon is about 8 mm long and covered with frass and other debris.