About Barea codrella Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875
Barea codrella is a species that strongly resembles several other species in the Barea genus. In a 2001 publication, Hoare noted that B. codrella can be distinguished from the two other Barea species present in New Zealand by two features. First, its labial palpi are uniformly blackish, with the exception of a pale patch on the inner surface of the second segment near the base. Second, fresh specimens have a tuft of shining scales on the posterior margin of the thorax. This species is native to Australia and has been introduced to New Zealand. In Australia, it can be found from southern Queensland through Victoria, in southern Western Australia, and in Tasmania. In New Zealand, B. codrella was first recorded in October 1979 in Hawkes Bay, and has since been observed across the entire North Island and in parts of the South Island. The larval host plants of B. codrella belong to the genera Eucalyptus and Acacia. The larvae of this species bore into the soft, moist, rotting wood of dead trees.
