Hygraula nitens

Hygraula nitens, the pond moth or Australian water moth, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1880. It is found in New Zealand[2] and most of Australia, including Tasmania.

Hygraula nitens
Hygraula nitens photographed in Aranda, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Crambidae
Genus:	Hygraula
Species:	H. nitens
Binomial name
Hygraula nitens (Butler, 1880)[1]
Synonyms
Paraponyx nitens Butler, 1880

The wingspan is about 25 mm.

The caterpillars of this species live underwater. The filaments protruding from the body are not hairs but gills for breathing underwater. The larvae feed on Potamogeton crispus and Zostera species.[3] They also feed on other alien macrophytes such as Hydrilla verticillata, Lagarosiphon major, and Ceratophyllum demersum.[4] The larvae are delicate and build leaf housing.[4]

References

1. "GlobIZ search". Global Information System on Pyraloidea. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
2. "NZOR (Web Service Demonstrator)". Archived from the original on 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2012-12-27.
3. Don Herbison-Evans & Stella Crossley (February 17, 2008). "Hygraula nitens". uts.edu.au. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
4. Redekop, Petra; Gross, Elisabeth M.; Nuttens, Andréïna; Hofstra, Deborah E.; Clayton, John S.; Hussner, Andreas (2016-04-18). "Hygraula nitens, the only native aquatic caterpillar in New Zealand, prefers feeding on an alien submerged plant". Hydrobiologia. 812 (1): 13–25. doi:10.1007/s10750-016-2709-7. ISSN 0018-8158.