| New Zealand looper | |
|---|---|
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| Female | |
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| Male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Geometridae |
| Genus: | Epyaxa |
| Species: | E. rosearia |
| Binomial name | |
| Epyaxa rosearia (Doubleday, 1843) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Epyaxa rosearia, the New Zealand looper or plantain moth, [2] [3] is a moth of the family Geometridae. [1] It is endemic to New Zealand.
E. rosearia was first described by Edward Doubleday in 1843 and named Cidaria rosearia. [4] [5]
The eggs of this species are pale yellow and oval with a smooth shell. [6]
Alex Purdie describes the caterpillar of this species as:
Length, at rest, about three- quarters of an inch. Colour light-green, with indistinct whitish longitudinal lines, and a narrow median dorsal stripe of the ground colour, edged on each side by one of these whitish lines; a subdorsal whitish line on each side of the median stripe; the ground colour shows again as a lateral line, edged below with whitish. Under-side with delicate whitish or yellowish longitudinal tracings, as on the upper side. The junctions of the segments show yellowish or whitish rings when the larva contracts. Head, greenish-yellow. Body tapering somewhat to the head. [6]
The caterpillars form a chrysalis that is glossy and very dark brownish black. [6] They can be found amongst the leaves of the forest floor. [7] E. rosearia adults are varied in appearance. They can have a pinkish tinge or can be brownish in hue although olive green is also common. [7]
E. rosearia are very common throughout New Zealand. [7]
While it is endemic to New Zealand, [8] the larvae have so far only been recorded feeding on exotic plant species: Nasturtium officinale , Plantago lanceolata , Trifolium ambiguum , Trifolium repens and Tropaeolum majus . [9] The larvae also seem to feed on the leaves of Trifolium caucasicum .
A recent study suggests this moth may be assisting with the pollination of avocado trees. [10]
Heloxycanus patricki, also known as the sphagnum porina moth, is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae, the ghost moths. It is the only member of the genus Heloxycanus. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It has been classified as having the status of "At Risk, Declining" by the Department of Conservation.
Melicytus ramiflorus is a small tree of the family Violaceae endemic to New Zealand.
The pūriri moth, also commonly called the ghost moth or pepetuna, is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae. This moth is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is New Zealand's largest moth, with a wingspan of up to 150 mm. It spends the first five to six years of its life as a grub in a tree trunk, with the last 48 hours of its life as a moth. Footage has been taken of a pūriri moth chrysalis hatching over a period of one hour and forty minutes.
Epiphryne verriculata, the cabbage tree moth, is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is found only in New Zealand, and only feeds on the native cabbage tree ; its wings are patterned to camouflage it against dead cabbage tree leaves.
Orocrambus is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. All species are endemic to New Zealand.
Ichneutica ustistriga is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found from the Three Kings Islands to Stewart Island. This species lives in a wide variety of habitats including domestic gardens, horticultural areas, orchards, native and exotic grasslands, as well as native forest. The larvae eat a variety of herbaceous plants. Recorded food plants include Muehlenbeckia australis, Muehlenbeckia complexa, Olearia hectorii, Plantago lanceolata, and Urtica australis. This moth has a mauvish grey wing colour and is unlikely to be confused with other species as the patterns on its forewing are distinctive. This species is on the wing throughout the year and is attracted to both sugar and light traps. Adult moths can be found at rest on fences and tree trunks during the day.
Epyaxa is a genus of moths in the family Geometridae erected by Edward Meyrick in 1883.
Zealandopterix zonodoxa is a moth of the family Micropterigidae. It endemic to New Zealand and is found from the Hawkes Bay north as well as on Poor Knights, Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands. It is the smallest micropterigid in New Zealand and the shiny white markings on the forewing of this species are variable. It is a day flying moth, but has been collected using UV light. Adults are on the wing from September to March and the species has been witnessed visiting the flowers of Nikau and Cordyline pumilio in large numbers. It inhabits a wide variety of moist indigenous forest but is associated with forests in which podocarps are common. Larvae have been sieved from rotten wood on the floor of a mixed podocarp/broadleaf forest or extracted from moss or from bryophytes.
Izatha rigescens is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species is classified as having the conservation status of "Data Deficient" by the Department of Conservation. It is only known from the Wellington coast. This species has not been seen since 1929.
Epiphryne undosata, also known as the lacebark looper, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found on both the North and South Islands. It inhabits native forest. The larvae feed on plant species in the genera Hoheria and Plagianthus. They pupate amongst dead leaves in a silk cocoon. The adult moths have been observed on the wing all year round but are most commonly seen from November until February. The adult moths are extremely variable in both their colour intensity and wing pattern.
Helastia cinerearia is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the North, South and Stewart Islands as well as on the Mercury and Chatham Islands. The preferred habitat of H. cinerearia includes urban gardens, various types of forest and sub alpine habitats. The larval host is lichen on rocks. The adult moths are on the wing all year round but are most commonly observed from September until February. Adult moths are nocturnal and have been observed feeding from and likely pollinating Hebe salicifolia, Hoheria lyallii and Leptospermum scoparium.
Physetica prionistis is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1887. It is endemic to New Zealand and is widespread throughout the North, South and Chatham Islands. This species can be found in open clearings of shrubland and forest at altitudes from sea level up to the alpine zone. Adults are on the wing throughout the year and are attracted to sugar traps and occasionally to light. The life history of this species is unknown as are the larval host species.
Ichneutica purdii, the orange astelia wainscot, is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It can be found throughout the main islands of New Zealand. I. purdii is a relatively large, colourful moth, unlikely to be confused with any other endemic moth species in New Zealand. The larvae of this moth feed at night on species of Astelia. During the day they shelter in the interior of the plant. When fully grown the larvae can reach a length of approximately 48mm. The larvae are ocherous in colour with a pink flush with line markings but when ready to pupate these markings fade and the larvae take on a light golden hue with a rosy tinge to its rear segments. The deep wine coloured pupa is enclosed in a slight cocoon, with this being constructed below the soil, amongst debris or alternatively within a hollow stick. The adult moths are on the wing from October to March. Although this moth is found throughout the main islands of New Zealand it is more frequent in the south of New Zealand at higher altitudes of up to 1200m.
Hierodoris atychioides is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1877. The female holotype specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London. This species is endemic to New Zealand, and can be found in the North, South and Stewart Islands. The larvae form webs of silk attached to frass and leaves on their hosts in which they shelter, often in the company of other larvae in their species. Their feeding habits have not been observed in detail but Hoare hypothesises the larvae may feed on dead or dying leaves. The larvae feed on a wide range of trees and shrubs, including Dacrydium cupressinum, Prumnopitys taxifolia, Dacrycarpus dacrydioides, Libocedrus bidwillii, Cupressus macrocarpa, Leptospermum scoparium, Kunzea ericoides, Ozothamnus leptophyllus, Abies, Picea, Pinus and Thuja species. Although they are regarded as a pest of exotic forests in New Zealand, the economic damage the larvae cause is minimal and they tend to be controlled only by their natural enemies. Larval enemies include the parasitic flies Trigonospila brevifacies and Pales funesta as well as parasitic wasps including Xanthopimpla rhopaloceros. The adult moths are day flying and are most common during the months of December and January. This species is variable in appearance as larvae, pupa and as adults, and it has been hypothesised that it is in the process of speciation.
Chersadaula ochrogastra is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is classified as "Data Deficient" by the Department of Conservation.
Cadmogenes is a genus of moths of the family Plutellidae. It contains only one species, Cadmogenes literata, which is found in New Zealand. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It has been classified as "Not Threatened" by the Department of Conservation.
Kiwaia jeanae, also known as the Kaitorete jumper or mat daisy jumper, is a species of moth in the family Gelechiidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species is classified as "At Risk, Naturally Uncommon" by the Department of Conservation. Both the males and females of this species are brachypterous.
Physetica caerulea is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found from the centre of the North Island south, including the South and Stewart Islands. The adult moths are variable in appearance but can be distinguished by the bluish tinge to the forewings as well as the underside buff colour. However this species does have several forms including a very dark bluish black form, a brownish form and a green-brown form. It lives in open habitats and can be found in tussock grasslands and dunes and can normally be found from altitudes of sea level up to 900 m. Adults of this species are on the wing from August to April. As at 2017, the life history of is unknown as are the host species of its larvae. However it has been hypothesised that the larval host species is a tomentose plant.
Hydriomena iolanthe is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It is indigenous to New Zealand. This species is based on a single specimen that is now lost and has not been matched to any known species. As such it is classified as data deficient by the Department of Conservation.
Sestra flexata, also known as the common fern looper, is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. This species is endemic to New Zealand.
