''Ochetarcha'' is a genus of

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 ...

s belonging to the subfamily

Tortricinae The Tortricinae are the nominate subfamily of tortrix moths. Commonly referred to as leafrollers, as the larvae build shelters by folding or rolling leaves of the food plant, the tortricinae include several notable pests as well species used as ...

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 genu ...

. It contains only one described species, ''Ochetarcha miraculosa'', also known as the ponga stem borer, which is found in

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 ...

Description

The mature larva of this species is coloured a creamish-yellow and is between 15 and 20 mm long. 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 about 23 mm. The forewings pale-brownish, strigulated with purplish-grey. The extreme costal edge is whitish-ochreous and there is some purplish suffusion towards the base of the costa. The hindwings are dark grey.Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961; Volume 49, 1916

Behaviour

The larva of this species create a sticky cone formed from its waste on the stems of its host plant. The larvae consume the fronds of its host toward the tip of stem and make tunnels of between 8 and 10 mm long. When at rest the adult moth holds its wings at a v-shaped angle. The adult moths are on the wing from December to March.

Hosts

The larval host of this species ''

Cyathea dealbata ''Alsophila tricolor'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Cyathea dealbata'', commonly known as the silver fern or silver tree-fern, or as ponga or punga (from Māori language, Māori or ),The Māori word , pronounced , has been borrowed into Ne ...

''.

References

External links

tortricidae.com
Archipini Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Monotypic moth genera Moths of New Zealand Tortricidae genera Endemic moths of New Zealand Moths described in 1917 {{Archipini-stub