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Asaphodes recta

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Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Asaphodes recta
Female
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Asaphodes
Species: A. recta
Binomial name
Asaphodes recta
(Philpott, 1905)
Synonyms
  • Xanthorhoe recta Philpott, 1905
  • Larentia recta (Philpott, 1905)

Asaphodes recta is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the southern parts of the South Island. The preferred habitat of this species is open tussock grassland. The adults are on the wing in February and March. Larvae of this species have been reared on species in the genera Ranunculus and Bellis.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1905 using specimens collected from Ida Valley and named Xanthorhoe recta. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under that name in 1928. In 1939 Louis Beethoven Prout placed this species in the genus Larentia. This placement was not accepted by New Zealand taxonomists. In 1971 J. S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Asaphodes. In 1988 Dugdale confirmed this placement. The male holotype specimen, collected at Ida Valley in Otago, is held at the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.

Description

Illustration of A. recta by George Hudson.

Philpott described this species as:

♂, 31 mm. Head, thorax, and abdomen ochreous. Forewings moderate, greyish-ochreous, irregularly suffused with reddish especially towards costa, markings brownish ; first line before 1⁄3, curved, anteriorly edged with grey ; median bandformed of three or four thin lines with narrow spaces of ground-colour between ; the first of these is almost straight and rather darker than the others ; the posterior edge of the last one is irregular with two strong projections below middle ; this is followed by a narrow band of pale-greyish, almost white in some examples ; a broad band of brown from 4⁄5 of costa to tornus, posteriorly waved and followed by a waved pale line ; cilia long, brownish-pink. Hind wings long, narrow, pale-yellow ; a terminal series of indistinct linear brownish spots ; cilia pink.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. Along with the type locality, specimens had also been collected near Dunedin and Invercargill.

Habitat

The preferred habitat of this species is open tussock grassland in Otago and Southland.

Behaviour

The adults of this species are on the wing in February and March.

Hosts

Larvae of this species have been reared on species in the genera Ranunculus and Bellis.

References

  1. ^ "Asaphodes recta (Philpott, 1905)". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  2. ^ Dugdale , J. S. (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. 14. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: 174. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
  3. ^ Philpott, Alfred (1905). "On some new species of Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 37: 328–333 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. ^ Hudson, G. V. (1928). The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. Wellington: Ferguson & Osborn Ltd. p. 120. OCLC 25449322.
  5. Prout, L. B. (1939). "Geometridae: Fauna Indo-Australica". The Macrolepidoptera of the World. 12: 264 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. R. C. Craw (April 1987). "Revision of the genus Helastia sensu stricto with description of a new genus (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae)". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 14 (2): 269–293. doi:10.1080/03014223.1987.10422997. ISSN 0301-4223. Wikidata Q54670161.
  7. Dugdale, J. S. (10 November 1971). "Entomology of the Aucklands and other islands south of New Zealand: Lepidoptera, excluding non-crambine Pyralidae". Pacific Insects Monographs. 27: 55–172. ISSN 0078-7515. Wikidata Q64006453.
  8. Brian H. Patrick (April 2000). Conservation status of two rare New Zealand geometrid moths (PDF). Vol. 145. pp. 1–21. ISBN 0-478-21946-6. ISSN 1173-2946. Wikidata Q109608608. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
Taxon identifiers
Asaphodes recta
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