''Izatha convulsella'' is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Oecophoridae Oecophoridae (concealer moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this. ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It is similar in appearance to its close relative ''

Izatha gekkonella ''Izatha gekkonella'' is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it is only known from the region of the Taieri and Shag River catchments in eastern Otago. Description The wingspan The wingspan (or just sp ...

'' but is slightly larger and more white/grey in appearance and is more wide spread in geographic range than its close relative.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Francis Walker in 1864 under the name ''Gelechia convulsella''. Walker based his description on specimens collected in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

by Mr Oxley. These specimens are held at the

Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum (Lo ...

Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is 14–20 mm for males and 13.5–19 mm for females. Adults are on wing from late September to February. This species is very similar in appearance to its close relation ''I. gekkonella''. The most accurate way to confirm the identity of specimens is by dissection of the male genitalia as ''I. convulsella'' has a comb like structure in the reproductive organ of the males of the species. Generally ''I. convulsella'' is slightly larger than ''I. gekkonella'' and has fewer yellow-tipped grey scales and so has a more white and grey appearance in comparison to the ''I. gokkonella'' which, as a result of having a larger quantity of these scales, has a more brownish appearance. ''I. convulsella'' also has lighter coloured hindwings in comparison to ''I. gekkonella''.

Geographic range

This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is widespread in the eastern part of the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. In the North Island, it has only been recorded from

Wellington Wellington 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 third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

, Ōtaki,

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

Taihape Taihape is in the Rangitikei District of the North Island of New Zealand. It serves a large rural community. New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1, which runs North to South through the centre of the North Island, passes through the town ...

and

Waipawa Waipawa is the second-largest town in Central Hawke's Bay (district), Central Hawke's Bay in the east of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a population of The town is located northeast of Waipukurau and southwest of Hastings, New Zeal ...

. This species is not found in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

Host species

Larvae have been recorded living under the bark of ''

Dacrydium cupressinum ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is a dioecious evergreen conifer, reaching heights of up to , and can have a stout trunk up to in diameter. It is endemic to New Zealand ...

''. The true food plant may be lichens growing on the bark.

References

Oecophorinae Endemic fauna of New Zealand Endemic moths of New Zealand Moths described in 1864 {{Oecophoridae-stub