This plate of New Zealand moths was published in Richard Taylor’s 1855 book Te Ika a Maui. New Zealand has many brightly coloured, day-flying moth species, especially in alpine zones and areas of open vegetation. The South Island’s mountains have a surprisingly high number of species. In the past 5 million years ice ages and mountain-building have created many of the open habitats favoured by butterflies and moths.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Reference: Richard Taylor, Te Ika a Maui, or, New Zealand and its inhabitants. Facsim. ed. Wellington: Reed, 1974, plate 1
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