| Embryonopsis halticella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Plutellidae |
| Genus: | Embryonopsis |
| Species: | E. halticella |
| Binomial name | |
| Embryonopsis halticella Eaton, 1875 | |
| Synonyms | |
Embryonopsis heardensis Brown, 1964 | |
Embryonopsis halticella is a species of flightless moth found on islands of the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean (Crozet archipelago, Heard Island, Kerguelen Islands and Prince Edward Islands). [1]
Embryonopsis halticella was described by A. E. Eaton in 1876 from specimens collected on Kerguelen Islands. [2]
The moth is 5–5.5 mm (0.20–0.22 in), brown and brachypterous. [2] Mature caterpillars are 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) long. [1] As a caterpillar this species is not freeze-tolerant, [3] but they do not freeze until they have reached −17 to −20 °C (1 to −4 °F). [4]
The adult moths do not feed. Caterpillars eat tussock grass Poa cookii. [1] The whole life of a caterpillar is spent inside the inner fronds of tussock tillers. All life stages can be found throughout the year but on Kerguelen, adults peak during December. Caterpillars of Embryonopsis halticella cause extensive damage to tussock grass. [1]
Despite reduced wings of the adult moth this species is found in four island groups in the Sub-Antarctic: Prince Edward Islands, Heard Island, Kerguelen Islands, and the Crozet archipelago. The distribution of the moth matches that of its food plant the tussock grass Poa cookii. [1]
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands is an overseas territory of France. It consists of:
The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands is an Australian external territory comprising a volcanic group of mostly barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall land area is 372 km2 (144 sq mi) and it has 101.9 km (63 mi) of coastline. Discovered in the mid-19th century, the islands lie on the Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean and have been an Australian territory since 1947.
The Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the sub-Antarctic region. They are among the most isolated places on Earth, with the closest territory being the Heard Island and McDonald Islands territory of Australia located at roughly 450 km (240 nmi), and the nearest inhabited territory being Madagascar at more than 3,300 kilometres in distance. The islands, along with Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands, Amsterdam and Saint Paul islands, and France's Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, are part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands and are administered as a separate district.
Eaton's pintail is a dabbling duck of the genus Anas. It is also known as the southern pintail. The species is restricted to the island groups of Kerguelen and Crozet in the southern Indian Ocean. It resembles a small female northern pintail. It was named after the English explorer and naturalist Alfred Edwin Eaton. It is threatened by introduced species, particularly feral cats, which prey on it, particularly during the post-breeding molt, when it is unable to fly.
Pringlea antiscorbutica, commonly known as Kerguelen cabbage, is a flowering plant and the sole member of the monotypic genus Pringlea in the family Brassicaceae. Its common name comes from the archipelago of its discovery, the Kerguelen Islands, and its generic name derives from Sir John Pringle, president of the Royal Society at the time of its discovery by Captain James Cook's Surgeon, William Anderson in 1776.
The Antarctic realm is one of eight terrestrial biogeographic realms. The ecosystem includes Antarctica and several island groups in the southern Atlantic and Indian oceans. The continent of Antarctica is so cold that it has supported only 2 vascular plants for millions of years, and its flora presently consists of around 250 lichens, 100 mosses, 25–30 liverworts, and around 700 terrestrial and aquatic algal species, which live on the areas of exposed rock and soil around the shore of the continent. Antarctica's two flowering plant species, the Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort, are found on the northern and western parts of the Antarctic Peninsula. Antarctica is also home to a diversity of animal life, including penguins, seals, and whales.
The Crozet Islands are a sub-Antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean. They form one of the five administrative districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.
Deschampsia is a genus of plants in the grass family Poaceae, commonly known as hair grass or tussock grass. The genus is widespread across many countries.
The Southern Indian Ocean Islands tundra is a tundra ecoregion that includes several subantarctic islands in the southern Indian Ocean.
Pringleophaga marioni is a moth of the family Tineidae. It is endemic to Marion Island. Beside being unable to fly, this moth species is notable because of its ability to resist temperatures that are so low, that they would kill most other species.
Acaena magellanica, commonly called buzzy burr or greater burnet, is a species of flowering plant whose range includes the southern tip of South America and many subantarctic islands.
Poa cookii, sometimes called Cook's tussock-grass or bluegrass, is a species of tussock grass native to various subantarctic islands. The specific epithet honours British explorer James Cook who visited the Kerguelen Islands in 1776.
Poa kerguelensis is a species of tussock grass native to various subantarctic islands. The specific epithet refers to the type locality – the Kerguelen Islands.
Île de la Possession, or Possession Island, formerly Île de la Prise de Possession, is part of the Subantarctic Crozet Archipelago. Administratively, it is part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. It is an important nesting site for seabirds.
Ichneutica pagaia is a moth of the family Noctuidae. I. pagaia is endemic to New Zealand and can only be found on the Snares Islands. This species is unlikely to be confused with moths with a similar appearance as it is the only noctuid found in the Snares Islands. Its preferred habitat is tussock grasslands and the hosts for its larvae are likely Poa astonii and Poa tennantiana. Adults of this species are on the wing from November to February.
Notodiscus hookeri is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the family Charopidae. This snail lives on islands in the sub-Antarctic region. Its shell is unique among land snails in that the organic shell layers contain no chitin.
Ectemnorhinini is a weevil tribe in the subfamily Entiminae.
Megaherbs are a group of herbaceous wildflowers growing in the New Zealand subantarctic islands and on the other subantarctic islands. They are characterised by their great size, with huge leaves and very large and often unusually coloured flowers, which have evolved as an adaptation to the harsh weather conditions on the islands. They suffer from overgrazing due to introduced mammals.
Calycopteryx is a genus of stilt-legged fly with only a single recognized species, the Calycopteryx mosleyi native to the Kerguelen Islands and Heard Island of the south Indian Ocean, first described by Alfred Edwin Eaton in 1875. It is characterized by its tiny size and flightlessness.
Palirhoeus is a monospecific genus of beetle found on islands in the Sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean.