''Stigmella hakekeae'' is a

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 Nepticulidae. 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 ...

and is found in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

s. The larvae feed on '' Olearia'' species and are

leaf miner A leaf miner is any one of numerous species of insects in which the larval stage lives in, and eats, the leaf tissue of plants. The vast majority of leaf-mining insects are moths ( Lepidoptera), sawflies (Symphyta, the mother clade of wasp ...

s. This species pupates in a silk cocoon on the ground underneath its host plant. Adults are on the wing most months of year except for March and April. They have been observed flying during the day near their host plant. There are four or five generations per year. This species is regarded as being widely distributed and locally abundant.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1989 by Hans Donner and Christopher Wilkinson from specimens collected in the

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town on the north-eastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, in the central North Island. It is the largest urban area of the Taupō District, and the second-largest urban area in the Wai ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

and Southland regions as well as at

. The male

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

specimen, collected in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

in November 1920, is held at

Te Papa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum and is located in Wellington. ''Te Papa Tongarewa'' translates literally to "container of treasures" or in full "container of treasured things and people that spring fr ...

Description

The larvae are 3 to 4 mm long and greenish white. The mine of these larvae differs from that of '' S. fulva'' in the lack of purple discolouration of the leaf in the region of the egg. Donner and Wilkinson described the male and the female of this species as follows:

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is found in the North, South and Stewart Islands.

Life cycle

Larvae

The larvae feed on ''Olearia'' species, such as ''

Olearia arborescens ''Olearia arborescens'', also known as common tree daisy is a common shrub or small tree of New Zealand. It grows in lowland to alpine scrubland in the North Island from East Cape southwards, and throughout the South Island, South and Stewart Is ...

'', '' Olearia ilicifolia'', '' Olearia macrodonta'', '' Olearia nummulariifolia'' and ''

Olearia paniculata ''Olearia paniculata'', commonly called akiraho, is a species of shrub or tree in the family Asteraceae, found only in New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two ...

''. They mine the leaves of their host plant. Larva have been recorded from May to August and in October.

Pupae

The cocoon is made of brown silk and can be found on the ground under the host plant.

Adults

Adults have been recorded in every month except March and April. There are four or five generations per year.

Behaviour

This moth can be seen flying during the day near its host plants. This species has been reared on ''Olearia paniculata'' sourced from the Marlborough Sounds and on ''Olearia arborescens'', ''Olearia ilicifolia'', '' Olearia avicenniifolia'' and ''Olearia nummulariifolia'' sourced from other locations including Tiwai Point and Longwood Range. This species is regarded as widely distributed and locally abundant.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7616655 Nepticulidae Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Moths described in 1989 Endemic moths of New Zealand