Glaucocharis stella
Glaucocharis stella is a species of moth in the family Crambidae. This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1938. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the North Island. Meyrick hypothesised that larvae of G. stella feed on moss. Adults are on the wing in October and November. The colouration of the forewings ensure that when resting with closed wings on rocks adults are highly camouflaged.
Taxonomy
This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1938 using specimens collected by Stella Gibbs née Hudson collected in the Ōrongorongo Valley at an altitude of about 2,500 feet near Wellington and named Glaucocharis stella. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1939 book A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1971 David Edward Gaskin, thinking he was describing a new species, named this moth Pareromene gurri. Gaskin synonymised this name with G. stella in 1985 when reclassifying Australasian, Melanesian and Polynesian Glaucocharis species. The male holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.Description
This species was described by Meyrick as follows:Gaskin pointed out that this species is similar in appearance to G. epiphaea but that it can be distinguished by genitalic characteristics in both sexes. Externally the two species can be separated as the tornus of the forewing of G. stella is nearly at right angles where as in G. epiphaea the tornus of the forewing is more obtusely angled.