Sabatinca heighwayi facts for kids

Sabatinca heighwayi is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It was described by Alfred Philpott in 1927 and is endemic to New Zealand.

Adults were found in November.

Original description

Wingspan 13.5 mm for females. Head covered with dense long hair reaching beyond 1/2 of antennae, light tawny. Antennae bright brown, tips black. Thorax tawny, densely long-haired. Abdomen dark fuscous. Legs ochreous, tarsi banded with fuscous. Forewings long, costa strongly arched at base, apex round-pointed, termen very oblique; shining brassy; fasciae ivory-yellow with pink reflections; three equidistant complete curved fasciae between base and 1/2; at 3/4 a fascia interrupted below middle; between 1/2 and 3/4 a fascia indicated by marks on costa and dorsum; two fasciae near apex, broadly interrupted at middle; all fasciae are here and there margined with blackish; an obscure reddish shade commences in disc at third fascia and runs to apex; fringes pinkish-brown obscurely barred with pale yellow. Hindwings metallic violet, paler near base; fringes fuscous with some yellow at middle of termen.

Host

The host of the larvae of this species is the foliose liverwort Plagiochila circumdentata.

Images for kids

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  Illustration of S. heighwayi by George Hudson