Misplaced Pages

Epichorista aspistana

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Epichorista aspistana
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tortricidae
Genus: Epichorista
Species: E. aspistana
Binomial name
Epichorista aspistana
(Meyrick, 1882)
Synonyms
  • Proselena aspistana Meyrick, 1882
  • Eurythecta aspistana (Meyrick, 1882)

Epichorista aspistana is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in Canterbury and Otago. This species inhabits moist grassy areas at altitudes ranging from sea level to 1650m. Larvae feed on species within the genus Acaena. Adults are on the wing in November to February.

Taxonomy

Illustration of E. aspistana by George Hudson.

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1882 using specimens collected by J. D. Enys at Porters Pass and named Proselena aspistana. Meyrick went on to give a fuller description of the species in 1883. In 1911 Meyrick placed this species in the genus Epichorista. George Hudson, in 1928, discussed and illustrated this species in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1988 J. S. Dugdale confirmed this placement. In 2010 this placement was again confirmed by Robert Hoare in the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. The male lectotype, collected at Castle Hill in Canterbury, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

Description

Meyrick described this species as follows:

Male. — 13 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax whitish-grey, somewhat mixed with fuscous (but damaged). Antennae whitish-grey (?). Abdomen whitish-grey. Legs whitish-grey, anterior and middle pair suffused with dark fuscous except at apex of joints. Forewings oblong, rather narrow, slightly dilated posteriorly, costa moderately arched near base, thence nearly straight, somewhat sinuate beyond middle, hindmargin rather strongly oblique, nearly straight, very slightly sinuate ; whitish-grey, with some scattered spots of dark fuscous scales; basal patch reddish-brown, exterior edge sharply marked, broadly dark fuscous, from 1⁄5 of costa to 1⁄5 of inner margin, irregular, hardly angulated ; a large reddish-brown triangular costal patch, extending on costa from 1⁄3 to near apex, reaching rather more than half across wing, apex broken and partially suffused, anterior and posterior edges sharply marked, broadly margined with dark fuscous, costal edge marked with three small dark fuscous spots ; a similar small dark fuscous spot on costa before apex : cilia grey- whitish, with a dark grey basal line. Hindwings grey, with a pencil of long whitish-yellowish hairs on costa at base ; cilia pale grey.

Distribution

Porters Pass, the type locality of this species.

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been found at the species type locality of Porters Pass as well as at near Dunedin.

Habitat

This species inhabits moist grassy areas and has been collected at altitudes ranging from sea level to 1650m.

Host species

Larvae of this species have been collected on plants in the genus Acaena.

Behaviour

The larvae of this species web the leaves of its host plants together and feed from this shelter. The adults of this species are on the wing from November to February.

References

  1. ^ Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 464. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC 973607714. OL 25288394M. Wikidata Q45922947.
  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: 122. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
  3. Edward Meyrick (November 1882). "Descriptions of New Zealand Microlepidoptera. II. Abstract". New Zealand Journal of Science. 2: 277. Wikidata Q111013849.
  4. ^ Edward Meyrick (May 1883). "Descriptions of New Zealand Microlepidoptera. I and II. Crambidae and Tortricina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 15: 42. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q111013914.
  5. Edward Meyrick (1 July 1911). "A Revision of the Classification of New Zealand Tortricina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 43: 83. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q111014011.
  6. ^ Hudson, G. V. (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, pp. 237–238, LCCN 88133764, OCLC 25449322, Wikidata Q58593286
  7. ^ "Epichorista aspistana". Auckland Museum Collections Online. 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  8. ^ Brian H. Patrick; Brian M. Lyford; John B. Ward; Barbara I.P. Barratt (December 1992). "Lepidoptera and other insects of the Rastus Burn Basin, The Remarkables, Otago". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 22 (4): 269. doi:10.1080/03036758.1992.10420820. ISSN 0303-6758. Wikidata Q60326057.
  9. Brian H. Patrick (1991). "Insects of the Dansey Ecological District" (PDF). Science & Research Series. 32: 15. ISSN 0113-3713. OCLC 154612987. Wikidata Q110318301. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2021.
  10. "Epichorista aspistana (Meyrick, 1882)". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  11. Crown Pastoral Land Tenure Review Coronet Peak Conservation Resources Report - Part 2 (PDF) (Report). Land Information New Zealand. 2006. p. APPENDIX 6: Invertebrate Species List. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
Taxon identifiers
Epichorista aspistana
Categories: