Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Maliattha ritsemae

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult (Mangaia)	72KB
Image:	Adult and specimen (wings displayed)	46KB
Image:	Specimen	39KB

General Information

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: DISTRIBUTION Indonesia/Australia - French Polynesia; Land, lowland

KEY FEATURES: Small moth, to 10mmBL (incl wings), white with 2 brown transverse stripes on fore wing.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P	++

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Maliattha ritsemae (Snellen, 1880)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Lepidoptera; NOCTUIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: Small moth, to 10mmBL (incl wings). Forewings buffish white with 2 dark brown bands (one at half winglength,the other close to outer wingmargin) with obscure kidney spot centrally between. Hind wings greyer than fore wings with darker markings at wing apex. Underside grey, hind wings paler. Head and Thorax white, Abdomen brown and white, Legs and Antennae greyish brown. CATERPILLAR rather podgy past midlength, green; feeding on short grasses; adults easily disturbed during the day.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: specimen+photo, 1995, S.Montgomery, in BPBM; specimens+photo, 1999, BESO #348, 370 & 496, ID J.Dugdale as Maliattha ritsemae. Mangaia: fieldspecimen+photo, 2006/5, on grass near Vaitate Swamp, G.McCormack with ID as Maliattha ritsemae.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM06a, zD06a

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List