Bug FAQKōwhai moth
Uresiphita maorialis
The kowhai moth has a wingspan of about 27 mm and adults can be green, red or other shades. It lives across the Pacific, including New Zealand where it is endemic, as well as Hawaii, Sri Lanka, Europe and parts of Africa. Its caterpillars feed on native kowhai trees and on introduced lupin plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults show a range of colours from green to red.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The wingspan is roughly 27 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on the endemic kowhai species and on introduced tree lupin.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The New Zealand subspecies is endemic to that country.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the kowhai moth look like?
Adults are about 27 mm across and can be green, red or other colours.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the kowhai moth found?
It occurs across the Pacific, including New Zealand, Hawaii, Sri Lanka, Europe and parts of Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae eat?
The caterpillars feed on native kowhai trees and on introduced lupin plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uresiphita_polygonalis
Look it up elsewhere: iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.