MOTH OF THE DAY - Monday: Ornate case moths – Reductoderces
The coldest mornings can bring out the coolest creatures
It’s international moth-week and you might think great for northern hemisphere summer but a little chilly for delicate moths to be on the wing here.
That is mostly true, but nature always has exceptions. Ornate case moths are a case in point. Across Aotearoa in the winter, case moths in the genus Reductoderces are emerging as adults from their little green silken cases. A still frosty morning at dawn is the best time to see them. Hidden flightless females on a mossy green branch or an algae matted rockface will be hanging from their cases. With no need to fly, they are using a trick common among moths – wafting a unique scent or pheromone. Males with a wingspan of only a few millimetres must fly along that scent trail to find a female for mating. There are species unique to many parts of the country, but being so secretive in the middle of winter, many of them are still to be discovered and named.
For more information:
Article: B.H. Patrick 2014. Winter-emerging moths of New Zealand (https://weta.ento.org.nz/index.php/weta/article/view/166)