Eudonia sabulosella
Eudonia sabulosella is a species of moth in the family Crambidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is regarded as being common. The larvae of this species are known to damage pasture in New Zealand.
Taxonomy
This species was originally described by Francis Walker in 1863 using a female specimen collected by Dr. A. Sinclair in Auckland and named Crambus sabulosellus. In 1884 Edward Meyrick discussed the species, giving a more detailed description, and placing it within the genus Scoparia while also changing the ending of the species name from the masculine -us to the feminine -a. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 publication The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand, also using the name Scoparia sabulosella. In 1988 John S. Dugdale placed the species in the genus Eudonia.Description
Walker described the species as follows:This species is variable, with some specimens being much darker than others. Despite this variation, E. sabulosella can be distinguished from similar species as it always has a pale ochreous ground colour to the forewings, along with two distinct blackish dots.