Zapyrastra stellata

Zapyrastra stellata is a species of moth of the family Momphidae first described by Alfred Philpott in 1931. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Otago. The larvae of this species mine the leaves of Muehlenbeckia. Adults are on the wing in June and December.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1931 using a specimen collected by Charles E. Clarke in Wānaka in December. In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species within the genus Zapyrastra. The male holotype specimen is held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. In 2019 Lauri Kaila placed this species in the genus Mompha stating "Current status: Mompha stellata ; Dugdale ".

Description

This species was described by Philpott as follows:
This species can be distinguished from other species with a similar appearance as it has a prominent white costal patch.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. Along with the type locality of Wānaka, this species has also been observed in Richmond Valley in Otago.

Behaviour

As well as being collected in December, this species has been observed in flight in June.

Host species

The larvae of this species mine Meuhlenbeckia leaves including Meuhlenbeckia complexa.