Philocryptica polypodii
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Philocryptica is a monotypic genus of moths belonging to the subfamily Tortricinae of the family Tortricidae. It contains only one species, Philocryptica polypodii, the leather-leaf star-miner, which is endemic to New Zealand. This species has been recorded in both the North Island and the South Island, as far south as Banks Peninsula. The preferred habitat of this species is native forest where its larval host plant is present. The larvae feed on Pyrrosia eleagnifolia, mining the leaves. P. polypodii pupates within the final blotch-mine. Adults are on the wing in November and December and are attracted to light.
The genus Philocryptica was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1923. The species was first described by Morris Watt in 1921 using a darkly marked species in the Wellington Botanic Gardens and originally named Harmologa polypodii. In 1923 Meyrick placed this species in the newly described genus Philocryptica. In 1924 Watt described the life history of this species in detail. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. The male lectotype collected in Wellington is held at the Te Papa.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auckland | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Leather-Leaf Star-Miner sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 191st most-seen of the 689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Leather-Leaf Star-Miner in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in February–March and October–December, the lowest months.
Only Auckland, in our data
Auckland is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Leather-Leaf Star-Miner sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Tortricidae
The closest relatives of the Leather-Leaf Star-Miner that you can see in Auckland (family Tortricidae, Tortricid Leafroller Moths) are Orange Fruit Borer (about 20%), Capua intractana (about 20%) and Light Brown Apple Moth (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Leather-Leaf Star-Miner is recorded against all the insects logged in Auckland (36 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
