Karamū Leafminer

Karamū Leafminer

Corythoxestis zorionella

Endemic
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Egmont National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

6 Verified sightings at Egmont National Park From 2019 to 2026
6 In 1 park
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Karamū Leafminer

Corythoxestis zorionella, also known as the karamu leafminer, is a species of moth in the family Gracillariidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. The larvae feed on Coprosma arborea, Coprosma grandiflora, Coprosma lucida, Coprosma retusa, Coprosma robusta, and Coprosma tenuifolia. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The larva mines directly into the leaf through the bottom of the egg. The mine starts as a long, slender, slightly tortuous, gradually widening gallery. The first part being on the under-surface of the leaf, close against the cuticle, showing up white and silvery by reflected light. The remainder of the mine, however, is on the upper surface. In the last stage the gallery expands, more or less abruptly, into a large irregular blotch. It usually follows the midrib or margin of the leaf along its greater extent, sometimes being deflected by the coarser veins. In this manner its course may be slightly tortuous, but rarely markedly so. The midrib forms an impassable barrier except at its upper end. The colour of the mine is conspicuously white or light green, sometimes discoloured a bright reddish-brown, but patchy in character. That part of the leaf covering the blotch is, in fleshy leaves, more or less mottled in shades of green according to the closeness of the mine to the outer cuticle. The frass is exceedingly scanty, black, finely granular, occupies a thin line near one side of the gallery, sometimes abruptly changing from one side to the other. After the first moult the granules are irregularly scattered over the floor of the mine. Leaves are seldom found containing more than two mines. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Egmont National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Auckland 🇳🇿 New Zealand
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Karamū Leafminer in Egmont National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Karamū Leafminer sighting in Egmont National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 123rd most-seen of the 191 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Karamū Leafminer in Egmont National Park?

March and November

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Karamū Leafminer in Egmont National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February and May–October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Karamū Leafminer?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Karamū Leafminer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a Karamū Leafminer?

Only Egmont National Park, in our data

Egmont National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Karamū Leafminer sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Karamū Leafminer sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Karamū Leafminer is recorded against all the insects logged in Egmont National Park (6 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.

← Back to Egmont National Park