Asterivora ministra

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Asterivora ministra
Asterivora ministra holotype.jpg
Male holotype
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Choreutidae
Genus: Asterivora
Species:
A. ministra
Binomial name
Asterivora ministra
(Meyrick, 1912) [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Simaethis ministraMeyrick, 1912

Asterivora ministra is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. [1] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed at Mount Holdsworth and Mount Arthur. This species inhabits alpine native herbage above the tree line. The adults are on the wing in February.

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick, using specimens collected by George Hudson at Mount Holdsworth, and named Simaethis ministra. [3] In 1928 George Hudson discussed this species under that name in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. [4] In 1979 J. S. Dugdale placed this species within the genus Asterivora. [5] In 1988 Dugdale confirmed this placement. [2] The male holotype specimen, collected at Mount Holdsworth, is held at the Natural History Museum, London. [2]

Description

Illustration of A. ministra by George Hudson. Fig 30 MA I437894 TePapa Plate-XXXIII-The-butterflies full (cropped).jpg
Illustration of A. ministra by George Hudson.

Meyrick described this species as follows:

♂. 9 mm. Head dark fuscous, face sprinkled with white. Palpi with whorls of dark-fuscous white-tipped scales, base white. Antennae dark fuscous, shortly pubescent-ciliated. Thorax dark fuscous. Abdomen dark fuscous, segmental margins partially white. Forewings suboblong, costa moderately arched anteriorly, apex obtuse, termen slightly rounded, somewhat oblique; dark bronzy-fuscous; five very undefined irregular transverse shades of white irroration, first three rather curved or bent, fourth forming a clear white spot on costa beyond middle and then a fine silvery quadrangular loop passing behind a transverse linear discal mark of white irroration, fifth straight, interrupted above middle; two or three silvery-metallic scales before termen above middle: cilia white with dark-fuscous shade (imperfect). Hindwings light fuscous, becoming darker towards termen; dorsal half with scattered white scales; a well-marked irregular white streak extending across dorsal half of wing from disc at ¾ nearly to tornus, its lower half approximated to termen; cilia white, with fuscous subbasal and post-median shades. [3]

This species is very similar in appearance to A. microlitha and analoga. [3] A. ministra can be distinguished as its antennae are fully dark fuscous, it has broader forewings with costa more arched and less defined white markings while on the hindwings, the white streak is broader and less defined. [3]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. [1] Along with the type locality of Mount Holdsworth in Wellington, this species has also been collected at Mount Arthur. [6]

Habitat

It inhabits alpine native herbage above the tree line. [4]

Behaviour

The adults of this species is on the wing in February. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Asterivora analoga</i> Species of moth, endemic to New Zealand

Asterivora analoga is a moth of the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in both the North and South Islands. Adults are on the wing in December and January.

<i>Asterivora albifasciata</i> Species of moth

Asterivora albifasciata is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed on both the North and South Islands. The adults of this species are on the wing in December and January. Larvae of this species have been raised on Celmisia brevifolia.

<i>Asterivora antigrapha</i> Species of moth

Asterivora antigrapha is a moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the North and South Island. This species inhabits the edge of scrubland. The adults are on the wing in November and December. This species can be found flying the day. It has been hypothesised that this species hibernates over winter.

<i>Asterivora barbigera</i> Species of moth

Asterivora barbigera is a moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the southern half of the South Island. It inhabits open mountain sides and adults are on the wing in November to January.

<i>Asterivora chatuidea</i> Species of moth

Asterivora chatuidea is a moth of the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in and around Dunedin. The larvae of this species are leaf miners and hosts include Helichrysum lanceolatum, Olearia quinquevulnera and Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum. Adults of this species has been recorded as being on the wing in November, January and February.

<i>Asterivora colpota</i> Species of moth

Asterivora colpota is a moth in the family Choreutidae. It was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1911. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the North and South Islands. It is regarded as a lowland species and adults are on the wing from November until March. This moth has been collected by beating shrubs.

<i>Asterivora exocha</i> Species of moth

Asterivora exocha is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1907 and is endemic to New Zealand. This species has only been observed in the Humboldt Ranges of Otago and inhabits subalpine native bush at elevations of around 3600 ft. Adults of this species are on the wing in December and January and have been observed flying at dusk.

<i>Asterivora fasciata</i> Species of moth

Asterivora fasciata is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been found at Arthur's Pass. The larvae of this species have been reared on Celmisia densiflora and adults are on the wing in January.

<i>Asterivora inspoliata</i> Species of moth

Asterivora inspoliata is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been found in the southern parts of the South Island. Adults are on the wing in December and January.

<i>Asterivora iochondra</i> Species of moth, endemic to New Zealand

Asterivora iochondra is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1911. This species has been observed in both the North and South Island at Mount Holdsworth and Mount Arthur. This species inhabits open spaces on mountains on the forest edge at 3000 ft altitude. Adults of this species are on the wing in February and flies rapidly in sunshine.

<i>Asterivora marmarea</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Asterivora marmarea is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and lives in mountainous habitats. It has been observed in the lower parts of the North Island and the upper South Island. The larval host of this species is Celmisia gracilenta and adults of this species are on the wing in December and January.

<i>Asterivora microlitha</i> Species of moth

Asterivora microlitha is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Asterivora urbana</i> Species of moth

Asterivora urbana is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Arthur's Pass. Adults are on the wing in January.

<i>Asterivora nivescens</i> Species of moth

Asterivora nivescens is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Nelson. This species inhabits native herbage on mountain sides. Adults of this species are on the wing in January.

<i>Asterivora tristis</i> Species of moth

Asterivora tristis is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Tongariro National Park. Adults of this species are on the wing in January.

<i>Asterivora tillyardi</i> Species of moth

Asterivora tillyardi is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and collected at Aoraki / Mount Cook. Adults of this species are on the wing in March.

<i>Asterivora symbolaea</i> Species of moth

Asterivora symbolaea is a species of moth in the family Choreutidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Arthur's Pass. This species lives in subalpine habitat. Adults of this is on the wing in January and February. Larvae are hosted by Celmisia prorepens.

<i>Proteodes profunda</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Proteodes profunda is a species of moth in the family Depressariidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species has been collected in its type locality of Mount Holdsworth in the Tararua Range, Raurimu near Tongariru National Park, at Days Bay in Wellington, at Mount Arthur, Otira, Invercargill, and in Southland. P. profunda lives in beech forests at altitudes of around 2000 ft and larvae feed on beech tree leaves. Adults of this species are on the wing from November to February.

<i>Tingena paratrimma</i> Species of moth, endemic to New Zealand

Tingena paratrimma is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the lower parts of the South Island. George Hudson regarded this species are uncommon. The adults of this species are on the wing from November to February.

<i>Tingena penthalea</i> Species of moth, endemic to New Zealand

Tingena penthalea is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Wellington and the Tararua Range. The adults of this species are on the wing from December until February.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia : chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 457. ISBN   978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC   973607714. OL   25288394M. Wikidata   Q45922947.
  2. 1 2 3 John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. 14: 113. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Edward Meyrick (10 June 1912). "Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 44: 121. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q109393380.
  4. 1 2 3 George Vernon Hudson (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 308, LCCN   88133764, OCLC   25449322, Wikidata   Q58593286
  5. ↑ J. S. Dugdale (July 1979). "A new generic name for the New Zealand species previously assigned to Simaethis auctorum (Lepidoptera: Choreutidae), with description of a new species". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 6 (3): 461–466. doi:10.1080/03014223.1979.10428386. ISSN   0301-4223. Wikidata   Q54576372.
  6. ↑ "Asterivora ministra Meyrick, 1912". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
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