''Ecclitica torogramma'', also known as the ponga ugly nestmaker, is a species of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

of the family

Tortricidae The Tortricidae are a family of moths, commonly known as tortrix moths or leafroller moths, in the order Lepidoptera. This large family has over 11,000 species described, and is the sole member of the superfamily Tortricoidea, although the gen ...

. It is endemic to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1897 using specimens collected by

George Hudson George Hudson (probably 10 March 1800 – 14 December 1871) was an English railway financier and politician who, because he controlled a significant part of the railway network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King"—a title conferr ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

and named ''Cacoecia torogramma''.

Description

The larva is small and green with a brown head and when mature is under 10 mm in length. Meyrick described the adult female of this species as follows:

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the North Island and in the northern parts of the South Island.

Habitat and hosts

This species inhabits native forest. Its larval host plant is the

silver fern ''Alsophila dealbata'', synonym ''Cyathea dealbata'', commonly known as the silver fern or silver tree-fern, or as ponga or punga (from Māori or ),The Māori word , pronounced , has been borrowed into New Zealand English as a generic term f ...

Behaviour

The larvae create a nest for themselves by weaving the growing tips of the fronds of its host plant together with silk webbing. They consume these fronds during spring and summer. Adults of this species are on the wing from September to February. Adults are nocturnal although they can sometimes be seen flying during the day when disturbed. They are attracted to light. The adult moths can often be located during the day, hiding on the underside of fronds of their host plant.

References

Moths described in 1897 Archipini Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Endemic moths of New Zealand {{Archipini-stub