Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Lepidoptera
- Family: Tortricidae
- Subfamily: Tortricinae (tribe Epichoristini)
- Genus: Epichorista
- Species: Epichorista crypsidora
Authority
- Described by Edward Meyrick in 1914.
Distribution
- Known from New Zealand. Records indicate the species is endemic to the country, with occurrences reported from both the North and South Islands.
Habitat
- Inhabits native forest and shrubland environments where host plants for its larvae are present. Specific plant associations have not been thoroughly documented.
Morphology
- Adults are small tortricid moths, with a wingspan generally ranging from 12 to 16 mm.
- The forewings exhibit a cryptic coloration pattern of greyish-brown mottling, which provides camouflage against bark and lichen.
- Hindwings are paler, typically light grey.
Life Cycle and Ecology
- Like other tortricids, the larvae are leaf‑rollers, feeding within folded or rolled leaves of their host plants. Precise host plant species for E. crypsidora have not been definitively recorded in the literature.
- Adults are nocturnal and are attracted to light, which is a common trait among moths of this family.
Conservation Status
- The species has not been evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). No specific conservation concerns have been published, and its status is presumed to be of least concern pending further assessment.
References
- Meyrick, E. (1914). Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera. Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, 46, 161‑194.
- Dugdale, J. S. (1988). Lepidoptera — annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa. Fauna of New Zealand, 14.
- New Zealand Organisms Register (NZOR). Epichorista crypsidora Meyrick, 1914.
Note: All information presented is based on published taxonomic and entomological sources available up to the knowledge cutoff date.
