Stigmella cypracma

Description

Stigmella cypracma is a species of moth in the family Nepticulidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. The length of the forewings is about 4 mm. Adults have been recorded February and from September to November. There are two generations per year. The larvae feed on Brachyglottis repanda. They mine the leaves of their host plant. The mine is narrow and does not follow a particular pattern, but is strongly sinuous and tends to isolate within its coils areas of tissue which, when withered, can be recognised as brown patches in the leaf. The mine terminates in a blotch. The frass is deposited in one or two rows in the middle of the gallery. Larva have been recorded from May to October and in December. They are about 4 mm long and pale green. The cocoon is made of brown silk within the mine. Cocoons with live pupae have been found in May, June, August, September and December.