Ichneutica peridotea

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Ichneutica peridotea
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Ichneutica
Species:
I. peridotea
Binomial name
Ichneutica peridotea
Hoare, 2019

Ichneutica peridotea is a moth of the family Noctuidae. [1] This species is endemic to New Zealand. The species is similar in appearance to Ichneutica plena but are more dull olive-green in appearance and the male lacks the patches of orange-brown forewing scales of the male I. plena. As at 2021 I. peridotera has only been collected in the Auckland District although Robert Hoare hypothesises that its range may include the northern districts of the North Island. The lack of information about this species is partially due to the fact it is late winter flying. The life history of this species is unknown as are the hosts of its larvae. Its preferred habitat is forest and the adults are attracted to light.

Contents

Taxonomy

I. peridotea was first described by Robert Hoare in 2019. [2] The male holotype specimen was collected by Hoare via mercury vapour trap in Albany in July. [2] The holotype specimen is held in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection. [2]

Description

This species is similar in appearance to I. plena but the adults of I. peridotea are a duller olive-green on the forewings and throax and the base of the forewings lack the black markings found on the forewings of I. plena. [2] The male I. peridotea forewings only have olive-green and white coloured scales whereas the male I. plena forewings also have orange-brown scales. [2] The adult male has a wingspan of between 31 and 34 mm. [2] The only known female specimen has a wingspan of 32 mm. [2]

Distribution

I. peridotea is endemic to New Zealand. [3] Although this species is currently only known from Auckland it is likely that it is present in the northern parts of the North Island. [2] However it was not found during a survey of the Mahakirau Forest in the Coromandel Ranges. [2]

Habitat

Lucas Creek in Kell Park, not far from the type locality of I. peridotea Lucas Creek from Kell Park platform.jpg
Lucas Creek in Kell Park, not far from the type locality of I. peridotea

The species has been collected in forested areas. [2]

Behaviour

Adults of this species are on the wing from July to September and are attracted to light. [2] This species is likely to have been overlooked as a result of this species being on the wing in late winter. [2]

Life history and host species

The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ichneutica insignis</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica insignis is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species is found throughout New Zealand, although it appears to be scarce in inland sites of tussock grasslands. The adults are on the wing throughout the year. It is a variable species and as such can be easily confused with I. skelloni and I. plena. The larvae of this species have been recorded as feeding on Trifolium pratense.

<i>Ichneutica plena</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica plena is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is widespread throughout the North, South and Stewart Islands. It is a variable in appearance and therefore can be confused with its near relatives I. peridotea and I. insignis. The larvae of I. plena feed on herbaceous plants including Fuchsia excorticata, Coprosma species, and introduced species such as garden fuchsia as well as crops such as apple trees. Adults of this species are on the wing from late August until May.

<i>Ichneutica nullifera</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica nullifera is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the Tongariro National Park, along the Wellington coast and throughout the South Island. The adults are large and the forewing of adults can vary in colour from pale fawn to dark grey. The larvae are coloured a bright yellow-brown with a paler underside. The larval host species are in the genus Aciphylla and as a result the adult moths are often found in habitat dominated by species in this genus. Adults are on the wing from November to early April and are sometimes attracted to light.

<i>Ichneutica olivea</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica olivea is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the central North Island down to the central South Island. It is very similar in appearance to I. lindsayorum but has a shorter basal streak and has white scaling from the subterminal line on the forewings that I. lindsayorum lacks This species prefers shrubland habitat. The life history of I. olivea is unknown as are the host species of its larvae. The adults are on the wing from December to March and are attracted to light.

<i>Ichneutica pelanodes</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica pelanodes is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been found in scattered locations in the North, South and Stewart Islands. I. pelanodes is easily confused with I. skelloni as the two species are visually extremely similar. In the North Island though the range of the two species appears not to overlap. Generally of the two species I. pelanodes tends to be darker in appearance. I. pelanodes inhabits wetlands but the life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae. Adults are on the wing from October to February and are attracted both to sugar and light traps.

<i>Ichneutica hartii</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica hartii is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and can be found only in the North Island. I. hartii is similar in appearance to Ichneutica agrorastis but can be distinguished as it tends to be smaller in size and have a more purplish shade to its fore wings. I. hartii tends to be found inhabiting lowland native forest or forests found in the hilly ranges of the North Island. It is attracted to light and the adults of this moth are on the wing between January and March. Much of its life history is currently unknown as are the larvae host species.

<i>Ichneutica micrastra</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica micrastra is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species has been found only in the North Island and has been collected in the Northland, Auckland, Whanganui and Wellington regions. The preferred habitat of this species is wetlands and heathlands including gum fields in Northland. Adults of this species are on the wing from October to December. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae however it has been hypothesised that the likely larval host is a grass or grass like plant. This species is very similar in appearance to I. phaula and I. sapiens but can be distinguished as a result of differences in male antennae, the shape, colour and size of forewings, the range of the species as well as differences in genital shape.

<i>Ichneutica notata</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Ichneutica notata is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Although similar in appearance to other species in the Ichneutica genus, it can be distinguished by the colouration and patterns on its wings. It appears to be a very local species, rarely collected and having only been recorded in the north-west of the Tasman District, the Paproa Range, the Rainbow Ski field and the Craigieburn Range. Very little is known of the life history of I. notata.

<i>Ichneutica erebia</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica erebia is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found on Campbell Island and the Auckland Islands. Adults of this species are on the wing from August to January. The adults are variable in appearance but can be distinguished from similar species by the patters or lack thereof on their forewings. The larvae of I. erebia are polyphagous and hosts include Pleurophyllum criniferum, species within the genera Stilbocarpa and Carex, as well as Chionochloa antarctica, Urtica australis and Raukaua simplex.

Ichneutica subcyprea is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. This species is very similar in appearance to I. chlorodonta. It feeds on fern species in the genus Tmesipteris. It is the only New Zealand noctuid known to exclusively feed on ferns. The preferred habitat of this species is humid native forest and the adults are on the wing from September to December.

Ichneutica dundastica is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. As at 2019 this species has only been found near the Dundas Hut in the Tararua Range near Wellington. It inhabits alpine shrubland and is attracted to light. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae however adults are on the wing from late November to early December. The female of the species is larger and more conspicuous than the male.

Ichneutica naufraga is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is only found on Big South Cape Island. The host of I. naufraga larvae is Poa foliosa, upon which the larvae feed at night. Adult moths have been recorded on the wing in November. This species can be distinguished from the visually similar I. mutans as both the male and female of the former species lack the distinctive dark marking that can be found on the forewings of I. mutans. The female I. naufraga is coloured a brown shade as opposed to the grey I. mutans and the male I. naufraga has longer antenna pectinations.

<i>Ichneutica barbara</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica barbara is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is only found in the South Island, more commonly on the eastern side of the South Island. This species has a grey forewing and is visually very similar in appearance to its close relative I. omicron. However the adult male of I. barbara has a yellow anal tuft in comparison to the grey tuft of I. omicron. In collections I. barbara has sometimes been confused with I. sistens. I. barbara appears to inhabit shrubland localities. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of the larvae but adults are on the wing from October to December.

Ichneutica cornuta is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is only found in the South Island, in and around the Southern Alps. I. cornuta is very similar in appearance to pale forms of I. arotis. It is easy to confuse the two species as their ranges overlap. Male I. cornuta can be distinguished as it has longer pectinations on the antennae and the female lacks the dark scaling that can be found on the thorax of the I. arotis. There are also subtle differences in the forewing patterns of the two species. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae. Adults are on the wing from January to April.

Ichneutica sapiens is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. I. sapiens is found in the central North Island, in the South Island in Westland and also the southern parts of the South Island, and in Stewart Island. This species inhabits wetland habitat but its life history is unknown as are the host species of its larvae. The adult moths are on the wing between December and early January and are attracted to sugar traps and to light. I. sapiens is very similar in appearance to I. micrastra but is a smaller moth with a shorter wingspan, has differently formed antennae and slightly different forewing markings.

Ichneutica theobroma is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. The males of this species has a pink chocolate brown appearance to its forewings with a small white dot. The males of this species can be distinguished from the 'northern dark form' of Ichneutica arotis as they have broader shaped forewings with less markings than the latter species. The females are extremely difficult if not impossible to tell apart. I. theobroma are found in the northern parts of the North Island and inhabit kauri forests. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae although it has been hypothesised that larval hosts include Gahnia setifolia and Gahnia xanthocarpa. Adults of this species are on the wing from mid September until early November and are attracted to light.

Ichneutica haedifrontella is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is only known from scattered areas in the North and South Islands. In the North Island it has only been collected in the Pouakai Range in Taranaki. In the South Island it is known from the Nelson, Buller, North Canterbury, Otago Lakes and Fiordland regions. It inhabits alpine to subalpine zones. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae in the wild. Larvae have been reared on species in the Chionochloa genus. Adults are on the wing from December to February and are attracted to light. This species has a smaller dwarf form that can be found in the Pouakai Range and at Dart Hut.

<i>Ichneutica lindsayorum</i> Species of moth

Ichneutica lindsayorum is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the southern parts of the North Island and in the South Island. I. lindsayorum is very similar in appearance to I. olivea but has a longer basal streak and lacks the white scaling from the subterminal line on the forewing that can be found on the forewings of I. olivea. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae in the wild. However larvae have been reared on Ozothamnus leptophyllus. The adults of this species are on the wing from December to April.

Ichneutica inscripta is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. This species is found from south Auckland to Taranaki in the North Island. It prefers to inhabit dense native forest with high rainfall at higher altitudes. The life history of this species is unconfirmed as are the host species of its larvae but is likely to be similar to its close relative I. infensa. This species is very similar in appearance to its close relative I. infensa but has more strongly patterned forewings. The adults of this species are on the wing from late October to January.

Ichneutica supersulcana is a moth of the family Noctuidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is only known from the Tararua Ranges and at Tongariro National Park. This species has been collected in subalpine tussock grasslands as well as subalpine shrubland and at the margins of Fuscospora cliffortioides forest. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae. The adults of this species are on the wing in February and are attracted to light. It appears to be restricted to higher altitudes in comparison to its close relative I. sulcana.I. sulcana and I. supersulcana are very similar in appearance with no reliable visible differences between the two having been discovered. However, there are distinct differences in the male abdomen and genitalia of these two species.

References

  1. "Ichneutica peridotea Hoare, 2019". www.nzor.org.nz. 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Hoare, Robert J. B. (9 December 2019). "Noctuinae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) part 2: Nivetica, Ichneutica". Fauna of New Zealand. 80: 1–455. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.80.
  3. "Ichneutica peridotea Hoare, 2019". nztcs.org.nz. 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-28.