#horopito

AKA Elhamma cervinata, Hepialus despectus, Porina vexata, and Pielus variolaris.

A Hepialid endemic to New Zealand, where it was first described by Francis Walker in 1865. I'm not sure how many of those scientific names above are the result of him describing the same species more than once. He became notorious for that.

These are both males - females have indistinct markings at best. A common moth in grassy areas around New Zealand, where the caterpillars devour clover and grass, and may have been a pest of kūmara when sweet potato was more intensively grown as a staple crop.

Vegan Meatballs with Horopito Tagliatelle and Tomato Sweet Basil Sauce

Fighting Fungus: Cleansing With Active Horopito

New Zealand lies deep in the South Pacific, an island not to itself, but by itself. This seclusion has resulted in an amazing example of extraordinary flora and fauna. Aside from the incredible wildlife and sweeping views, New Zealand is home to over 2000 unique plants that have had the interest of the natural medicine and herbal remedy crowds for a long time. One plant in…

A genus of Cixiid planthopper, endemic to New Zealand, with two known species atkinsoni and oppositus. I'm 90% certain this one is the latter.

Both species used to be in the genus Oliarus, until the new genus got erected just for them.

Unfortunately both are vectors of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma australiense’ a plant disease responsible for Australian Grapevine Yellow, Cordyline sudden decline and Coprosma lethal decline, among others. Zeoliarus atkinsoni is monophagous on New Zealand flax (Phormium spp.), but Z. oppositus is polyphagous and can vector ‘Ca. P. australiense’ to both Coprosma robusta (karamu) and Cordyline australis (New Zealand cabbage tree).

A Desid spider native to eastern Australia, but has since been introduced into New Zealand, Japan, urban California, Mexico, and Uruguay - a remarkably succesful spread compared to the handful of other Australian spiders that have managed to establish elsewhere.

Often found living around houses, which provide abundant nooks and crannies for them to build their messy funnel=shaped webs.

A Crambid endemic to most of New Zealand, first described by English entomologist and ornithologist Henry Doubleday in 1843. He was also the author of the first catalogue of British butterflies and moths, Synonymic List of the British Lepidoptera (1847–1850), and other species named by him include the pigmy footman, Ashworth's rustic and the marsh oblique-barred.

There's roughly 50 other Orocrambus species, all native to New Zealand. This one is most common in grasslands, where the larvae feed on Agrostis tenuis and probably other grasses.

AKA Blechnum penna-marina, Struthiopteris distans, Stegania alpina, Lomaria alpina, Blechnum alpinum, Lomaria linearis, Lomaria pumila, Spicanta pumila, Lomaria parvifolia, Blechnum parvifolium, Lomaria distans, Blechnum hillii, Antarctic hard-fern, alpine water fern and pinque (Chilean Spanish).

Native to Australia, New Zealand, some Pacific and Subantarctic islands, parts of Chile, and parts of Argentina. The fronds may be 25 cm long. An easily propagated and hardy groundcover, surviving temperatures as low as -25C.