Te kaiwhakakoromeke noho kawakawa

Kawakawa Looper

Cleora scriptaria Walker

Kawakawa looper. Image: Dougal Townsend /CC-BY-NC

Kawakawa looper. Image: Dougal Townsend /CC-BY-NC

Pūtoi
Order: Lepidoptera
Whānau
Family: Geometridae

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Te Rahi

E 40–50 mm te whānui mai i te pito o tētahi parirau ki tētahi.

Size range

Wingspan 40–50 mm

Te Tītaringa

He momo māori, kitea ai huri noa i Aotearoa.

Distribution

Native, found throughout New Zealand

Te Huringa Ora

Kai ai ngā anuhe i te pō, ko ngā rau o te kawakawa (Macropiper excelsa), me ētahi atu mauwha māori pērā i te akeake (Dodonaea viscosa), i te horopito (Pseudowintera) tā rātou kai.
Ko te nuinga o ngā kawakawa e kōputaputa ana ngā rau, ko tēnei anuhe tonu te takenga mai.

Life history

Caterpillars feed nocturnally on leaves of Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum) and other native shrubs including ake–ake (Dodonaea viscosa) and horopito (Pseudowintera)
Most kawakawa plants have holes in the leaves made by these caterpillars

Kawakawa looper. Image: Dougal Townsend /CC-BY-NC Image — Kawakawa looper. Image: Dougal Townsend /CC-BY-NC

Male kawakawa looper. Image: Possums' End / CC-BY Image — Male kawakawa looper. Image: Possums' End / CC-BY

Kawakawa looper caterpillar. Image: Simon Nicholas / CC-BY-NC Image — Kawakawa looper caterpillar. Image: Simon Nicholas / CC-BY-NC

Kawakawa looper caterpillar. Image: Kyle Bland / CC-BY-NC Image — Kawakawa looper caterpillar. Image: Kyle Bland / CC-BY-NC

Kawakawa Looper caterpillar. Image: Kyle Bland / CC-BY-NC Image — Kawakawa Looper caterpillar. Image: Kyle Bland / CC-BY-NC

Kawakawa Looper caterpillar damage. Image: jemmarosie / CC-BY-NC Image — Kawakawa Looper caterpillar damage. Image: jemmarosie / CC-BY-NC