Poecilasthena schistaria
Poecilasthena schistaria, the kanuka looper, is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in New Zealand.[2]
| Poecilasthena schistaria | |
|---|---|
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| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Genus: | Poecilasthena |
| Species: | P. schistaria |
| Binomial name | |
| Poecilasthena schistaria | |
| Synonyms | |
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The wings vary from very pale brown to rather dull purplish-brown with numerous jagged, darker transverse lines. Adults are on wing from October to April.[3]
The larvae feed on Leptospermum scoparium.[4] They are dull green with a white more or less black-edged band down each side. There is a thin central white line on the back, and a narrow yellow line half-way between it and the lateral white band. The head is dull green.[5] Pupation takes place in a slight cocoon below the surface of the earth.
References
- Yu, Dicky Sick Ki. "Poecilasthena schistaria (Walker 1861)". Home of Ichneumonoidea. Taxapad. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016.
- Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Poecilasthena schistaria". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum.
- New Zealand moths and butterflies (Macro-Lepidoptera)
- Rod Morris: New Zealand Invertebrates
- Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961
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