Poecilasthena schistaria

Poecilasthena schistaria, the kanuka looper, is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in New Zealand.[2]

Poecilasthena schistaria
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Poecilasthena
Species:
P. schistaria
Binomial name
Poecilasthena schistaria
(Walker, 1861)[1]
Synonyms
  • Acidalia schistaria Walker, 1861
  • Asthena schistaria

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
  1. Yu, Dicky Sick Ki. "Poecilasthena schistaria (Walker 1861)". Home of Ichneumonoidea. Taxapad. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016.
  2. 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.
  3. New Zealand moths and butterflies (Macro-Lepidoptera)
  4. Rod Morris: New Zealand Invertebrates
  5. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961


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