Hyposmocoma papaiili

Hyposmocoma papaiili
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Cosmopterigidae
Genus:	Hyposmocoma
Species:	H. papaiili
Binomial name
Hyposmocoma papaiili P. Schmitz & Rubinoff, 2011

Hyposmocoma papaiili is a species of moth of the Cosmopterigidae family. It is endemic to Maui.

The wingspan is 7.2–8.8 mm for males and 12.6 mm for females.

The larvae have been reared on lichen and fish food. The larvae live in a larval case which has the form of a crab-shaped structure with one entrance at each end. The combination of the color, irregular shape and texture of the case make them good mimics of small pieces of bark.^[1]

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the Hawaiian pāpa‘i (meaning crab)and ‘ili (meaning bark) and refers to the type of case and habitat of this species.

References

1. Ecologically and Morphologically Remarkable New Cosmet Moth Species of the Genus Hyposmocoma (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae) Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, with Reference to the Spectacular Diversity of Larval Cases