Thyrocopa apatela

Thyrocopa apatela, the grasshopper moth[1] or Haleakala flightless moth,[2] is a species of brachypterous (flightless) moth from the Hawaiian island of Maui.[3]

Thyrocopa apatela
At Haleakala National Park Maui, Hawaii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Xyloryctidae
Genus:	Thyrocopa
Species:	T. apatel
Binomial name
Thyrocopa apatela (Walsingham, 1907)
Synonyms
Hodegia apatela Walsingham, 1907 Thyrocopa mediomaculata Walsingham, 1907

This species appears to be undergoing severe range reduction. Although it was found as low as 1,524 meters in the 1970s, recent collecting indicates it is now restricted to areas above 2,900 meters. This may be the result of the range expansion of introduced ants on Haleakalā.

The length of the forewings is 8–11 mm. Adults are on wing from May to August. It is largely diurnal, though they occasionally come to light. Adults are mostly collected while hopping between sunny rocks.

The larva is likely a generalist, feeding on Dubautia and other plant species found in the alpine scrub of Haleakalā's high-elevation areas. Larvae have also been found feeding on wind-blown debris under small rocks.

References

1. University of California, Berkeley
2. Thyrocopa apatela, Haleakala flightless moth, (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae)
3. A new species of flightless, jumping, alpine moth of the genus Thyrocopa from Hawaii

External links

• Zimmerman, Elwood C. (1978). Insects of Hawaii. 9 Microlepidoptera. The University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu. hdl:10125/7338.
• Medeiros, Matthew J. (2009). "A revision of the endemic Hawaiian genus Thyrocopa (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae: Xyloryctinae)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2202: 1–47. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2202.1.1.