Ukulele Pug Moth (Eupithecia prasinombra)

The Ukulele Pug Moth was described in 1899, it is known only from the female type specimen.

The species reaches a wingspan of about 1,9 cm, it was originally described as being green, but the sole surviving specimen has faded so much that there is no green color any more, instead it shows some plae cream colored areas, some scales are orange – or rosy-tipped.

The Ukulele Pug Moth inhabited native rain forest areas at a place named Ukulele somewhere in the Haleakala region of eastern Maui, Hawaiian Islands, the habitat is now heavily degraded by introduced mammalian herbivores and the species, which was never found since its description, may already be extinct.

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References:  

[1] E. C. Zimmerman: Insects of Hawaii 7, Macrolepidoptera. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu 1958
[2] Steven L. Montgomery: Carnivorous caterpillars: The behavior, biogeography and conservation of Eupithecia (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in the Hawaiian Islands. GeoJournal 7.6: 549-556. 1983

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edited: 06.01.2019