Hyposmocoma waikamoi

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

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

The wingspan is 10.4–11 mm for males and 9.8–9.9 mm for females.

The larvae have been reared on lichens growing on a large rock in the shade. The larvae live in a larval case which has the form of a candywrapper-shaped structure with one entrance at each end. In the wild, it is covered with bits of greyish lichen.^[1]

Etymology

The specific name is derived from the Nature Conservancy reserve on east Maui to which the species is apparently restricted.

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