Zelleria sphenota

Zelleria sphenota, also known as the mistletoe miner, is a species of moth in the family Yponomeutidae.

[3][5] George Hudson discussed the species in his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand using the name Zelleria sphenota.

Forewings very elongate, very narrow parallel-sided, long-pointed, acute; pale ochreous, thinly and irregularly sprinkled with dark fuscous and whitish; basal half of costa dotted with black; a moderately-broad ill-defined cloudy-white streak along inner margin from base to anal angle, pointed at extremities, interrupted at 2⁄3 by a small spot of ground-colour; a cloudy inwardly-oblique dark fuscous mark at 1⁄3 from near costa to near inner margin: cilia ochreous-grey-whitish, round apex ochreous, with base white, a grey line, and three cloudy dark grey bars.

[2][8] This species has occurred in Taupō, Nelson, Marlborough Sounds, Mid Canterbury and Southland.

[5] Initially the larvae of this species are leaf miners but as they mature they mine the stems of their host plants, finally moving on to consuming the leaves and flowers.

[7] They prepare for pupation by forming a white silk cocoon that is normally attached to the stem of their host plant.

Peraxilla colensoi , host species of Z. sphenota .