Uresiphita polygonalis

Uresiphita polygonalis is a moth of the family Crambidae. The species was described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found in the Pacific, including Hawaii and New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Europe and northern and southern Africa.[1][2]

Uresiphita polygonalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Crambidae
Genus:
Uresiphita
Species:
U. polygonalis
Binomial name
Uresiphita polygonalis
Synonyms
  • Pyralis polygonalis Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Mecyna polygonalis
  • Pyralis limbalis Denis and Schiffermüller, 1775
  • Uresiphita limbalis
  • Mecyna virescens Butler, 1881
  • Uresiphita aversalis (Guenée, 1854)
  • Uresiphita consanguinalis (Guenée, 1854)
  • Uresiphita deprivalis (Walker, 1859)
  • Uresiphita diversalis (Hübner, 1796)
  • Uresiphita extinctalis Caradja, 1916
  • Uresiphita gilvata (Fabricius, 1794)
  • Uresiphita ochrocrossa Clarke, 1971
  • Uresiphita orientalis (Fabricius, 1794)
  • Uresiphita teriadalis (Guenée, 1854)
  • Uresiphita villicalis (Hübner, 1826)

The wingspan is about 27 mm. Adults range in color from green to red.

Larval food plants are mainly quinolizidine-bearing tribes of Fabaceae, (Ulex europaeus, Genista sp., Sarothamnus sp., Sophoreae sp., Sophora tomentosa, Carmichaeliae and Genisteae).[3][4] In Hawaii they have been recorded on Acacia koa and Sophora chrysophylla. They feed gregariously among webbed leaves.

Subspecies
Uresiphita polygonalis maorialis
  • Uresiphita polygonalis polygonalis
  • Uresiphita polygonalis virescens (Butler, 1881) (Hawaii)
  • Uresiphita polygonalis maorialis (Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875) (New Zealand)

Uresiphita polygonalis maorialis

This subspecies is endemic to New Zealand where it is also known as the kowhai moth.[5][6] It is sometimes referred to under the species name Uresiphita maorialis.[7] This subspecies occurs throughout New Zealand and its larvae feed on the endemic kowhai species as well as introduced tree lupin.

References
  1. De Prins, J. & De Prins, W. (2017). "Uresiphita polygonalis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)". Afromoths. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  2. africanmoths.net
  3. De Prins, J. & De Prins, W. (2017). "Uresiphita polygonalis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775)". Afromoths. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  4. Leen, Rosemary (1997). "Larval hosts of Uresiphita, Hübner (Crambidae)", Journal of the Lepidopterists' Society. 51(2): 139-148.
  5. Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. Volume two. Kingdom Animalia: Chaetognatha, Ecdysozoa, Ichnofossils. Vol. 2. Christchurch, N.Z.: Canterbury University Press. p. 458. ISBN 9781877257933. OCLC 973607714.
  6. Horne, John Early ; photographs by Don (2009). Know your New Zealand-- native insects & spiders. Auckland, N.Z.: New Holland. p. 156. ISBN 978-1869662530.
  7. "Kowhai moth (Uresiphita maorialis)". iNaturalist NZ. Retrieved 2019-04-03.


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