Asaphodes nephelias

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Asaphodes nephelias
Asaphodes nephelias male.jpg
Male
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Asaphodes
Species:
A. nephelias
Binomial name
Asaphodes nephelias
(Meyrick, 1883) [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Larentia nepheliasMeyrick, 1883
  • Xanthorhoe nephelias(Meyrick, 1883)
  • Xanthorhoe subflavaHowes, 1917

Asaphodes nephelias is a moth in the family Geometridae. [2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the South Island. The preferred habits of this species is alpine tussock grasslands above native forest and in wetlands. The adults of this species are on the wing from January to March and are day flying. The female has brachypterous wings.

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1883 by Edward Meyrick using specimens collected at Arthur's Pass at 4600 ft in January and named Larentia nephelias. [3] Meyrick gave a fuller description later in 1884. [4] George Hudson discussed the species in his 1898 volume New Zealand moths and butterflies and referred to it as Xanthorhoe nephelias. [5] Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. [6] In the same publication Hudson synonymised Xanthorhoe subflava with this species. [6] In 1971 J. S. Dugdale placed this species within the genus Asaphodes. [7] In 1988 Dugdale confirmed this placement. [2] The male lectotype is held at the Natural History Museum, London. [2]

Description

Illustration of A. nephelias by George Hudson. Fig 45 MA I437613 TePapa Plate-XIV-The-butterflies full (cropped).jpg
Illustration of A. nephelias by George Hudson.

Meyrick first described this species as follows:

Pale whitish-grey, slightly ochreous ; a discal dot, sinuate line beyond middle, and two rows of cloudy spots before hind margin dark fuscous. [3]

Meyrick gave a fuller description in 1884 and stated:

Male, female. — 32-34 mm. Forewings moderate, in female narrower and more elongate, hindmargin rounded; pale whitish-grey, slightly ochreous-tinged ; an indistinct suffusion of dark fuscous scales before middle ; a small dark fuscous discal dot ; a rather irregular cloudy dark fuscous line beyond middle, sinuate beneath costa, shortly angulated in middle ; a very faint stria beyond this ; a hindmarginal band composed of two rows of cloudy partially confluent dark fuscous spots, separating on costa : cilia pale whitish-grey. Hindwings moderate, in female narrower, hindmargin rounded ; ground-colour as in forewings, with a few grey scales posteriorly. [4]

The female of this species is brachypterous. [7]

Distribution

Arthur's Pass, type locality of A. nephelias. ArthursPass.jpg
Arthur's Pass, type locality of A. nephelias.

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in Arthur's Pass and Mount Arthur. [1] [5] This species has also been collected in Central Otago including on Ben Lomond, Nevis Valley as well as at Danseys Pass. [8] [9]

Behaviour

The adults of this species are on the wing from January to March and are day flying. [6] [9]

Habitat

This species is found in alpine tussock grasslands above native forest. [6] It has also been observed in wetlands in Otago at the Danseys Pass as well as the Nevis Red Tussock Fen. [8] [10]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Asaphodes nephelias (Meyrick, 1883)". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  2. 1 2 3 4 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: 173–174. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 Meyrick, Edward (1883). "Monograph of New Zealand Geometrina". New Zealand Journal of Science. 1: 526–531 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. 1 2 Edward Meyrick (May 1884). "A Monograph of the New Zealand Geometrina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 16: 78. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q109615359.
  5. 1 2 George Vernon Hudson (1898), New Zealand moths and butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera) , Illustrator: George Hudson, London, p. 61, doi:10.5962/BHL.TITLE.7912, OCLC   980865393, Wikidata   Q19073637
  6. 1 2 3 4 George Vernon Hudson (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington, p. 121, OCLC   25449322, Wikidata   Q58593286
  7. 1 2 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: 55–172. ISSN   0078-7515. Wikidata   Q64006453.
  8. 1 2 George Vernon Hudson (1939), A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington, p. 410, Wikidata   Q109420935
  9. 1 2 Brian H. Patrick (1991). Insects of the Dansey Ecological District (PDF). Science & research series. Vol. 32. pp. 1–25. ISBN   0-478-01285-3. ISSN   0113-3713. Wikidata   Q110318301. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Nevis Red Tussock Fen". www.orc.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
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