Izatha austera
Izatha austera is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae. It was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1883 and is endemic to New Zealand. This species can be found throughout the North Island and has also been observed in the Nelson region in the South Island. The larvae of I. austera feed on dead wood by tunnelling into branches of its host species. The larvae matures from September and is on the wing in the months of December to January. The adult moth is variable in colouration but is seldom observed.
Taxonomy
I. austera was first described, as Semiocosma austera, by Edward Meyrick in 1883, in brief, and again in greater detail in 1884. Meyrick used two specimens collected in the Botanic Garden and forest in Wellington in January. In 1915 Meyrick placed this species in the genus Izatha. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in 1928. The lectotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.Description
Hudson described the larvae as follows:Meyrick described the adults of the species as follows:
The wingspan is 13–19 mm for males and 16.5–25 mm for females. This species is variable in its forewing colouration. I. austera also has noticeable scale-tufts on its forewing. It can be confused with I. dasydisca but the male can be distinguished as it has blackish coloured antennae, a scale-tuft on the third segment of the labial palp, and lacks the pair of large scale-tufts that I. dasydisca has on its forewings.