#wiseana

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.

Another endemic Hepialid, found on both islands but uncommon in the northern quarter of the country.

The adult moths fly in spring, summer, and early autumn depending on which part of the country they live in, but only live for a few days and do not feed. Mated females will scatter several thousand eggs over pasture, where the caterpillars burrow, and eat foliage and microflora, and drag leaves underground to eat.

W. umbraculata is a major pasture pest, but dry hot weather and the Wiseana nucleopolyhedrosis virus can decimate populations.

Wiseana signata, a Hepialid described by Francis Walker in 1856 and is endemic to New Zealand, where, like the other Wiseana species, it has become a major pasture pest. The caterpillars have also been found feeding on Phormium in poorly consolidated sand dunes, which may have been its original habitat before humans cut down so much of Aotearoa's forests.

The wingspan is 44–64 mm for males and 58–75 mm for females. Adults are on wing from October to May - quite an extended season.