This week’s critter is Izatha psychra, a species of lichen tuft moth found only in the Pukaki Scientific Reserve and feared to be extinct after fire ripped through the Reserve last August. Less than a dozen males have ever been found and no-one has seen the ladies—which might be fair enough when your mate has a spiky phallus!
Mid Canterbury Lichen Tuft Moth (Izatha Psychra) Photo: Birgit Rhode, Manaaki Whenua
