Opsitycha squalidella

Opsitycha squalidella is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1884. This species is native to Australia and is likely adventive to New Zealand.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1884 using several specimens collected in Melbourne and Hobart in December and named Philobota squalidella. In 1939 George Hudson, thinking he was describing a new species, named it Borkhausenia morella. In 2018 the species Borkhausenia morella was synonymised with O. squalidella.

Description

Meyrick described this species as follows:

Distribution

This species is native to Australia and likely adventive to New Zealand. In Australia this species is found in central and southern New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and southwestern Western Australia. In New Zealand this species was first recorded in Auckland on or prior to 1939 and has also been observed in Napier. It is regarded as being established in New Zealand but is scarce and local.

Hosts

Although the life history of this species is not known it has been hypothesised that the larvae of O. squalidella feed on leaf litter.

Behaviour

In New Zealand adults are on the wing from October to December. The adults of this species are attracted to light.