Epichorista aspistana

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Epichorista aspistana
Epichorista aspistana 89692816.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tortricidae
Genus: Epichorista
Species:
E. aspistana
Binomial name
Epichorista aspistana
(Meyrick, 1882) [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Proselena aspistanaMeyrick, 1882
  • Eurythecta aspistana(Meyrick, 1882)

Epichorista aspistana is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae. [2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in Canterbury and Otago. This species inhabits moist grassy areas at altitudes ranging from sea level to 1650m. Larvae feed on species within the genus Acaena. Adults are on the wing in November to February.

Contents

Taxonomy

Illustration of E. aspistana by George Hudson. Fig 32 MA I437625 TePapa Plate-XXVI-The-butterflies full (cropped).jpg
Illustration of E. aspistana by George Hudson.

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1882 using specimens collected by J. D. Enys at Porters Pass and named Proselena aspistana. [3] Meyrick went on to give a fuller description of the species in 1883. [4] In 1911 Meyrick placed this species in the genus Epichorista. [5] George Hudson, in 1928, discussed and illustrated this species in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. [6] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale confirmed this placement. [2] In 2010 this placement was again confirmed by Robert Hoare in the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. [1] The male lectotype, collected at Castle Hill in Canterbury, is held at the Natural History Museum, London. [2]

Description

Meyrick described this species as follows:

Male. — 13 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax whitish-grey, somewhat mixed with fuscous (but damaged). Antennae whitish-grey (?). Abdomen whitish-grey. Legs whitish-grey, anterior and middle pair suffused with dark fuscous except at apex of joints. Forewings oblong, rather narrow, slightly dilated posteriorly, costa moderately arched near base, thence nearly straight, somewhat sinuate beyond middle, hindmargin rather strongly oblique, nearly straight, very slightly sinuate ; whitish-grey, with some scattered spots of dark fuscous scales; basal patch reddish-brown, exterior edge sharply marked, broadly dark fuscous, from 1⁄5 of costa to 1⁄5 of inner margin, irregular, hardly angulated ; a large reddish-brown triangular costal patch, extending on costa from 1⁄3 to near apex, reaching rather more than half across wing, apex broken and partially suffused, anterior and posterior edges sharply marked, broadly margined with dark fuscous, costal edge marked with three small dark fuscous spots ; a similar small dark fuscous spot on costa before apex : cilia grey- whitish, with a dark grey basal line. Hindwings grey, with a pencil of long whitish-yellowish hairs on costa at base ; cilia pale grey. [4]

Distribution

Porters Pass, the type locality of this species. Road to Porters Pass 01.jpg
Porters Pass, the type locality of this species.

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been found at the species type locality of Porters Pass as well as at near Dunedin. [1] [6]

Habitat

This species inhabits moist grassy areas and has been collected at altitudes ranging from sea level to 1650m. [6] [7] [8]

Host species

Larvae of this species have been collected on plants in the genus Acaena . [9] [8]

Behaviour

The larvae of this species web the leaves of its host plants together and feed from this shelter. [10] The adults of this species are on the wing from November to February. [7] [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia : chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 464. ISBN   978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC   973607714. OL   25288394M. Wikidata   Q45922947.
  2. 1 2 3 4 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: 122. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134.
  3. ↑ Edward Meyrick (November 1882). "Descriptions of New Zealand Microlepidoptera. II. Abstract". New Zealand Journal of Science. 2: 277. Wikidata   Q111013849.
  4. 1 2 Edward Meyrick (May 1883). "Descriptions of New Zealand Microlepidoptera. I and II. Crambidae and Tortricina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 15: 42. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q111013914.
  5. ↑ Edward Meyrick (1 July 1911). "A Revision of the Classification of New Zealand Tortricina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 43: 83. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q111014011.
  6. 1 2 3 George Vernon Hudson (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington, pp. 237–238, OCLC   25449322, Wikidata   Q58593286
  7. 1 2 "Epichorista aspistana". Auckland Museum Collections Online. 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. 1 2 Brian H. Patrick; Brian M. Lyford; John B. Ward; Barbara I.P. Barratt (December 1992). "Lepidoptera and other insects of the Rastus Burn Basin, The Remarkables, Otago". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 22 (4): 269. doi:10.1080/03036758.1992.10420820. ISSN   0303-6758. Wikidata   Q60326057.
  9. ↑ Brian H. Patrick (1991). Insects of the Dansey Ecological District (PDF). Science & research series. Vol. 32. p. 15. ISBN   0-478-01285-3. ISSN   0113-3713. Wikidata   Q110318301. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Epichorista aspistana (Meyrick, 1882)". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. 2022. Retrieved 2022-02-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ Crown Pastoral Land Tenure Review Coronet Peak Conservation Resources Report - Part 2 (PDF) (Report). Land Information New Zealand. 2006. p. APPENDIX 6: Invertebrate Species List. Retrieved 25 February 2022.


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