Amblyptilia epotis

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Amblyptilia epotis
Amblyptilia epotis 66116114.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Pterophoridae
Genus: Amblyptilia
Species:
A. epotis
Binomial name
Amblyptilia epotis
(Meyrick, 1905) [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Platyptilia epotisMeyrick, 1905
  • Stenoptilia epotis(Meyrick, 1905)

Amblyptilia epotis is a moth of the family Pterophoridae. [1] It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the South and Stewart Islands. It inhabits mountainous terrain covered in alpine vegetation or alternatively alpine wetland habitat. The adults of this species are on the wing from February to March. In appearance the adults of this species are variable in colour however this species can be distinguished from similar species by the oblique apical streak on its forewings as well as the patch of white on the costa cilia towards the apex of the forewing.

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1905 and named Platyptilia epotis using a female specimen collected at the Humboldt Range by George Hudson. [3] [4] In 1910 Meyrick again discussed this species as Hudson sent further specimens to him including the male of the species. [5] In 1928 Hudson, in his publication, The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, placed this species in the genus Stenoptilia. [6] However Alfred Philpott, also in 1928, considered this species under its originally published name Platyptilia epotis. [7] Philpott discussed the male genitalia of this species with the aim of separating species contained in the genera Platyptilia and Stenoptilia. [7] In 1971 Dugdale also discussed the species under the name Platyptilia epotis but in 1988 dealt with this species under the name Stenoptilia epotis. [8] [4] In 2010 the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity discussed this species under the name Amblyptilia epotis. [1] The holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London. [4]

Description

A. epotis illustrated by George Hudson Fig 16 MA I437622 TePapa Plate-XXIII-The-butterflies full (cropped).jpg
A. epotis illustrated by George Hudson

Meyrick originally described this species as follows:

♀. 25 mm. Head white. Palpi 2+1⁄2, greyish-ochreous sprinkled with dark fuscous, white above. Antennas grey. Thorax whitish suffusedly sprinkled with brownish-ochreous, patagia becoming clear white posteriorly. Abdomen white, partially suffused with pale brownish-ochreous except towards base. Legs white, anterior femora and tibiae fuscous. Fore-wings with apex pointed, subfalcate, termen rather deeply concave ; pale brownish-ochreous densely irrorated with white, broadly suffused with white towards costa and dorsum on posterior half ; basal 1⁄4 of costa irrorated with dark fuscous, thence a narrow dark fuscous costal streak reaching to 3⁄4; a dot of two or three dark fuscous scales in disc at 2⁄5 ; a short transverse blackish-fuscous mark before cleft ; a strong oblique blackish streak from apex to anterior half of lower margin of first segment, where it is broadest ; an undefined blackish-fuscous longitudinal dash in centre of basal half of second segment : cilia whitish, with a dark fuscous spot above apex, an interrupted blackish basal line on central third of termen, and two or three blackish scales on dorsum at 2⁄3. Hindwings pale fuscous, second segment whitish-tinged ; cilia whitish-fuscous ; two or three fine blackish hair scales in dorsal cilia of third segment beyond middle. [3]

This species is variable in colour with specimens from the Mount Arthur tableland being more ochreous and less white than the type specimen. [5] Hudson states that the species can be distinguished from similar species by the oblique apical streak on its forewings as well as a patch of white on the costa cilia towards the apex of the forewing. [6]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. [1] It is found in the South Island and on Stewart Island / Rakiura. [6] [9]

Behaviour

Adults of A. epotis are on the wing from February to March. [6]

Habitat

This species inhabits mountainous terrain with alpine vegetation or alpine wetland habitat. [6]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia : chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. 2. p. 463. ISBN   978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC   973607714. OL   25288394M. Wikidata   Q45922947.
  2. ↑ "Stenoptilia epotis Meyrick, 1905". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  3. 1 2 Edward Meyrick (15 July 1905). "XII. Notes on New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London. 53 (2): 231–232. doi:10.1111/J.1365-2311.1905.TB02451.X. ISSN   0035-8894. Wikidata   Q54553180.
  4. 1 2 3 John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. 14: 134. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 E. Meyrick (1 July 1911). "Notes and Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 43: 73. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q58200989.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 George Vernon Hudson (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington, p. 210, OCLC   25449322, Wikidata   Q58593286
  7. 1 2 Alfred Philpott (May 1928). "The Male Genitalia of the New Zealand Pterophoridae". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 59: 645–649. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q110071198.
  8. ↑ J. S. Dugdale (10 November 1971). "Entomology of the Aucklands and other islands south of New Zealand: Lepidoptera, excluding non-crambine Pyralidae" (PDF). Pacific Insects Monographs . 27: 145. ISSN   0078-7515. Wikidata   Q64006453.
  9. ↑ "Amblyptilia epotis". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
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