Kiwaia caerulea

Kiwaia caerulea is a moth in the family Gelechiidae. It was first described by George Hudson in 1925. It is endemic to New Zealand.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by George Hudson in 1925 and named Gelechia caerulea. However, in 1928 Hudson, in his seminal work The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, discussed and illustrated this species and spelt the specific epithet caerulaea. This species was placed in the genus Kiwaia in 1988 and in that publication the epithet caerulea was used. However, John S. Dugdale in the 1988 catalogue of New Zealand Lepidoptera, used the epithet caerulaea. This latter spelling continues to be used by New Zealand publications and databases such as the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity and the New Zealand Organisms Register as well as organisations such as Te Papa, Auckland War Memorial Museum, the New Zealand Organisms Register and the New Zealand Arthropod collection. The male holotype specimen, collected in the Waiho Gorge by Charles E. Clarke, has not been located at Te Papa.

Description

Hudson described this species as follows:

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.