Eudonia dinodes
Eudonia dinodes is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was named by Edward Meyrick in 1884. This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. This species inhabits native forests. The larvae feed on mosses and are active and tunnel amongst moss on tree trunks. Adults are cryptic when resting on tree trunks with wings closed.
Taxonomy
This species was named by Edward Meyrick in 1884 using two specimens collected in Christchurch and Dunedin in January and was originally named Scoparia dinodes. Meyrick went on to give a full description of the species in 1885. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1988 John S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Eudonia. The holotype specimen, collected at Riccarton Bush in Christchurch, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.Description
Hudson described the larva of this species as follows:Meyrick described the male adult of this species as follows:
This species is similar in appearance to Eudonia minualis and Eudonia minusculalis but can be distinguished by its remarkably short antennal ciliations and lack of ochreous blotch on the forewings. Hudson pointed out that this species differs from E. minualis and the absence of the yellow blotch near the termen and the clear white 8-shaped reniform and from Eudonia minusculalis by the much smaller and more broken white markings.