Kauaʻi record · KCA-IA-00511
Hyposmocoma wailua
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About Hyposmocoma wailua
Hyposmocoma wailua was described from amphibious caterpillars in the upper Wailua River.
Natural history and identification
Hyposmocoma wailua was described from amphibious caterpillars in the upper Wailua River. Its small cone-shaped case is about 5–6 mm long, incorporates sand and silk, and has an exposed lid with projections beside the opening. Rearing showed that these cases belonged to a distinct species rather than a variant of the western Kauaʻi bugle-case moth. The original treatment knew it only from the upper Wailua drainage.
Kauaʻi occurrence and evidence
Atlas occurrence category: Present. Schmitz & Rubinoff 2011 formally describe this taxon from Kauaʻi; larval case and stream ecology are documented.
Evidence limits
The cited observations describe the evidence currently available for this account. They do not establish a complete life history or a measured current Kauaʻi population trend.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Hyposmocoma wailua
- Family
- Cosmopterigidae
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Present
- Origin
- Endemic — Kauaʻi
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal description
- Hyposmocoma wailua was described from amphibious caterpillars in the upper Wailua River.