Heterocrossa contactella

Heterocrossa contactella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Carposinidae
Genus:	Heterocrossa
Species:	H. contactella
Binomial name
Heterocrossa contactella (Walker, 1866) [1]
Synonyms [2]
Tinea contactellaWalker, 1866 Carposina amalodesMeyrick, 1911 Carposina contactella(Walker, 1866)

Heterocrossa contactella is a species of moth in the family Carposinidae. ^[1] It is endemic to New Zealand and can be observed in both the North and South Islands. The preferred habitat of this species is native forest and scrub, especially where Leptospermum shrubs are found. Adults are on the wing in December and January.

Taxonomy

This species was described by Francis Walker in 1866 using material collected in Nelson by T. R. Oxley in 1860 and named Tinea contactella. ^{[2] [3]} In 1905 Edward Meyrick placed this species within the genus Heterocrossa. ^[4] In 1911, thinking he was describing a new species, Edward Meyrick named the moth Carposina amalodes. ^{[5] [2]} In 1922 Meyrick listed Heterocrossa as a synonym for Carposina. ^[6] George Hudson, in his 1928 publication The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand, discusses this species under both the names Carposina contactella and Carposina amalodes. ^[7] In 1978 Elwood Zimmerman argued that the genus Heterocrassa should not be a synonym of Carposina as the genitalia of the species within the genus Heterocrassa are distinctive. ^[6] In 1988 John S. Dugdale synonymised the name Carposina amalodes and assigned the species to the genus Heterocrossa. ^[2] This placement was followed by the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. ^[1] The lectotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London. ^[2]

Description

Lectotype specimen of H. contactella.

Meyrick described the species as follows:

♀︎. 14–15 mm. Head white. Palpi 2+1⁄2, white, lower longitudinal half blackish. Antennas white, obscurely ringed with fuscous. Thorax whitish-ochreous mixed with dark grey, collar and patagia white. Abdomen pale greyish-ochreous. Fore-wings elongate, narrow, costa moderately arched, apex round-pointed, termen very oblique, almost straight, rounded beneath; grey, irregularly irrorated with dark grey and white ; a broad irregular-edged white suffusion extending along anterior half of costa, and reaching 2⁄3 across wing ; three or four small black dots on costa anteriorly, second forming a short strigula ; a narrow oblique-transverse pale ochreous spot edged with black below middle at 1⁄3 ; a black dot above middle of disc, and a small pale ochreous sometimes blackish-mixed spot below it ; three small faint whitish-ochreous spots arranged in a triangle in disc beyond middle ; all these ochreous spots are ringed with white suffusion ; an undefined angulated dark subterminal shade, marked with black on veins ; a series of blackish dots on posterior half of costa and termen : cilia light grey irrorated with white, basal half obscurely barred with whitish. Hind-wings grey, paler anteriorly ; cilia whitish. ^[4]

Distribution

Heterocrossa contactella observed in forest near Saint Arnaud, New Zealand

This species is endemic to New Zealand. ^{[8] [1]} This species can be found in both the North and South Islands and has been observed in the Auckland region, Whanganui River, Paekakariki, Wellington, Otira River, Ida Valley, Queenstown, Invercargill and Bluff. ^{[9] [7] [10]} Hudson regarded it as uncommon. ^[7]

Biology and behaviour

Adults of this species is on the wing in October, December and January. ^{[9] [7]}

Habitat

H. contactella prefers light forest and scrub habitat, especially where Leptospermum shrubs are found. ^[7]

References

1. 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. 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: 130. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134.
3. Francis Walker (1866), List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. Part XXXV. - supplement, part 5., London, pp. 1813–1814, Wikidata   Q115099201
4. Edward Meyrick (15 July 1905). "XII. Notes on New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London. 53 (2): 235. doi:10.1111/J.1365-2311.1905.TB02451.X. ISSN   0035-8894. Wikidata   Q54553180.
5. E. Meyrick (1 July 1911). "Notes and Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 43: 61–62. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q58200989.
6. Zimmerman, Elwood (1978). Insects of Hawaii. Vol. 9. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press. p. 797. hdl:10125/7338. ISBN   9780824804879.
7. Hudson, G. V. (1928). The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. Wellington: Ferguson & Osborn Ltd. pp. 215, 216. OCLC   25449322.
8. "Heterocrossa contactella (Walker, 1866)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
9. Alan Emmerson; Robert Hoare (28 October 2019). "Lepidoptera from Redvale, Albany, north of Auckland, New Zealand, 2004-2016: an annotated list". The Wētā. 53: 43–70. ISSN   0111-7696. Wikidata   Q105342215.
10. Patrick, Brian (1994). Hawkdun Ecological District invertebrate survey. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Conservation, New Zealand. p. 14. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.227.2484 . ISBN   0478015534. OCLC   53885579.