Arctesthes siris

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Arctesthes siris
Arctesthes siris male.jpg
Male
Arctesthes siris Female (cropped).jpg
Female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Arctesthes
Species:
A. siris
Binomial name
Arctesthes siris
(Hudson, 1908) [1]
Range maps of Arctesthes avatar, siris & titanica (cropped).jpg
A. siris = black circles
Synonyms [1]
  • Lythria sirisHudson, 1908

Arctesthes siris is a moth of the family Geometridae. [2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has only been found in a handful of mountainous areas in Central Otago. As at 2019 the larvae of this species has not been described but the larval hosts of this species are low growing plants in the genera Coprosma and Plantago. Adults are day flying and are on the wing from early December until mid April. This species inhabits mountainous wetland areas and snowbanks. It has been observed flying low over its preferred habitat and has been seen together with its sister species A. catapyrrha. A. siris can be distinguished from A. catapyrrha as A. siris has a noticeable concave curve in the proximal line of its forewing.

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was first described by George Vernon Hudson in 1908 under the name Lythria siris. [3] He based his description on specimens discovered by J. H. Lewis at approximately 1200 metres in altitude in the Old Man Range of Central Otago. [3] In 1928 Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under that name in his publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. [4] In 1939 Louis Beethoven Prout placed this species in the genus Arctesthes. [5] In 1986 R. C. Craw agreed with this reinstatement the genus and the placement of this species within it. [6] This placement was accepted by John S. Dugdale in 1988. [2] The species was redescribed in 2019. [7] The lectotype specimen is held at Te Papa. [2]

Description

Male lectotype specimen Arctesthes siris lectotype.jpg
Male lectotype specimen

Hudson described this species as follows:

The expansion of the wings is a little over 5⁄8 in. The forewings are slaty-grey, with light reddish-brown, black, and pale-yellowish markings; there is a very small grey area at the base, followed by a wavy transverse reddish-brown band; next two yellowish-white bands enclosing a very narrow yellowish-brown area; then a strongly waved whitish line, followed by a narrow black line and a broad reddish-brown line; the central area is broad, slaty - grey, with a reddish-brown discal dot; this is followed by an extremely sharply angulated series of lines, consisting of a narrow reddish-brown line, a narrow black line, a narrow yellowish-white line, and a shaded orange-brown line; the termen is shaded with dark-brown with a very fine, wavy, whitish line and a series of small reddish-brown spots. The hindwings are golden-yellow, the basal and terminal portions broadly clouded with black, and a very wavy central black line. The cilia of all the wings are brownish-grey. The female is paler, and much less distinctly marked than the male. [3]

A. siris is smaller than its sister species A. catapyrrha and can be distinguished as A. siris has a noticeable concave curve in the proximal line of its forewing. [7]

Distribution and habitat

Observation of live moth Arctesthes siris 260098315.jpg
Observation of live moth

A. siris is endemic to New Zealand. [6] [7] This species is only found in alpine areas of Otago where it prefers wetland areas [8] and snow banks. [9] It has been observed at altitudes of 1300 – 1500 metres. [9] The species has been recorded in the Lammermoor Range, [10] on the Garvie Mountains, the Old Man and Old Woman ranges and the Rock and Pillar ranges. [11]

Behaviour and life stages

A. siris is a day flying moth and are low flying. [8] Adults have been observed on the wing from early December until mid April. [7] As at 2019 the larvae of this species has not been described.

Host species

Likely host species P. lanigera observed near the Old Man Range Plantago lanigera 64267214.jpeg
Likely host species P. lanigera observed near the Old Man Range

The host species for A. siris include mat-forming Coprosma species as well as low growing species in the genus Plantago . [8]

Related Research Articles

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Arctesthes is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae described by Edward Meyrick in 1885. It is endemic to New Zealand.

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Austrocidaria similata is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the country including on off shore and sub Antarctic Islands. This species inhabits native forest and shrubland. Eggs are while in appearance and oval in shape and take approximately three weeks to mature. Larvae mimic the appearance of a moss covered twig and feed on Coprosma species. It has been hypothesised that this species overwinters as larvae. The larvae pupate on the ground with the pupa being enclosed in a thin cocoon made up of silk and refuse. Adults are on the wing all year but are most commonly observed from October until March. Adults are nocturnal and are attracted to light. During the day they can be observed resting on tree trunks where its forewing colouration provides camouflage protection from predators.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Arctesthes siris (Hudson, 1908)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Dugdale, J. S. (1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 14: 171. ISSN   0111-5383. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Hudson, George Vernon (1908). "Recent observations of New Zealand Macro-lepidoptera, including descriptions of new species". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 40: 104–107 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  4. ↑ Hudson, G. V. (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 131, LCCN   88133764, OCLC   25449322, Wikidata   Q58593286
  5. ↑ Prout, L. B. (1939). "Geometridae: Fauna Indo-Australica". The Macrolepidoptera of the World (Stuttgart). 12: 237–292 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. 1 2 Craw, R. C. (1986-01-01). "Review of the genus Notoreas (sensu auctorum) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae)". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 13 (1): 131–140. doi: 10.1080/03014223.1986.10422654 . ISSN   0301-4223.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Patrick, Brian H.; Patrick, Hamish J.H.; Hoare, Robert J.B. (2019-05-29). "Review of the endemic New Zealand genus Arctesthes Meyrick (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Larentiinae), with descriptions of two new range-restricted species". Alpine Entomology . 3: 121–136. doi: 10.3897/alpento.3.33944 . ISSN   2535-0889 – via Pensoft.
  8. 1 2 3 Patrick, Brian H.; Lyford, Brian M.; Ward, John B.; Barratt, Barbara I. P. (1992-12-01). "Lepidoptera and other insects of the Rastus Burn Basin, The Remarkables, Otago". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 22 (4): 265–278. doi:10.1080/03036758.1992.10420820. ISSN   0303-6758.
  9. 1 2 Dickinson, K. J. M.; Mark, A. F.; Barratt, B. I. P.; Patrick, B. H. (March 1998). "Rapid ecological survey, inventory and implementation: A case study from Waikaia Ecological Region, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 28 (1): 83–156. doi: 10.1080/03014223.1998.9517556 .
  10. ↑ Brian H. Patrick (1993). Insects of the Waipori Ecological District (PDF). Vol. 16. pp. 1–43. ISBN   0-478-01481-3. ISSN   0114-7455. Wikidata   Q126685320. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2017.{{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  11. ↑ Patrick, B.H. 1984, B. H. (1984). "Lammermoor-Lammerlaw a tussockland National reserve in Eastern Otago?". Forest and Bird. 15 (4): 7.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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