The Magpie Moth (Nyctemera annulata) is a moth of the family Erebidae. The species was first described by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1832. It is endemic to New Zealand and found in all parts of the country.
This is a medium-sized native NZ moth but a related species, N. amicus from Australia, is also found in NZ and the two interbreed here. N. amicus has a pair of long black hair-tufts containing barbed hairs arising on the thorax and which project in front of the head.
Magpie Moth caterpillars are referred to as 'woolly bears'. The Magpie moth is one of the few moths seen flying during the day in NZ.
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