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Homoeosoma anaspila is a species of snout moth in the genus Homoeosoma. It is endemic to New Zealand. It found in the North and South Islands as well as the Kermadec Islands.

Homoeosoma anaspila
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Pyralidae
Genus:	Homoeosoma
Species:	H. anaspila
Binomial name
Homoeosoma anaspila Meyrick, 1901[1]

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1901 using specimens from Waipukurau collected by Meryrick himself in March and two other specimens collected in Christchurch including one collected by R. W. Fereday.[2] That latter specimen is the designated lectotype and is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[3]

Description

Meyrick described the species as follows:

♀ 16-21 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax fuscous, irrorated with white. Forewings very narrow, posteriorly somewhat dilated ; 4 and 5 stalked ; white, more or less inorated with fuscous ; first line cloudy, fuscous, angulated in middle, but usually quite obsolete : cilia pale fuscous, irrorated with white. Hindwings whitish-fuscous, termen slenderly dark fuscous ; cilia whitish, with a faint fuscous subbasal line.[2]

Distribution

The species is endemic to New Zealand.[1][4] It has been collected in the wider Mackenzie basin,[5] and the Canterbury region,[2] as well as on the Kermadec Islands.[6]

Biology and behaviour

The adults of this moth are on the wing during the months of October to December and also in March.[2][5][7]

Habitat and host species

The larvae feed on Vittandinia species including Vittadinia gracilis and Vittadinia australis as well as Helichrysum luteoalbum, Hieracium lepidulum, Jacobaea vulgaris and Ozothamnus leptophyllus.[5][7][8]

References

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