Mallobathra aphrosticha

Mallobathra aphrosticha
Male lectotype
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Psychidae
Genus:	Mallobathra
Species:	M. aphrosticha
Binomial name
Mallobathra aphrosticha Meyrick, 1912 [1]
Synonyms [2]
Talepora aphrostchaMeyrick, 1912 Talepora aphrostichaMeyrick, 1912

Mallobathra aphrosticha is a moth of the family Psychidae. ^{[1] [2]} This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in Fiordland, Otago and Southland. The adults are on the wing in December and the female is semi-apterous.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1912 and named Telapora aphrostcha, a misspelling in the original publication. ^{[3] [2]} He used specimens collected by Alfred Philpott at Hump Ridge in Fiordland at an altitude of 3500 ft. ^[4] Not long after publication, the spelling of aphrosticha was used in scientific literature to refer to this species. ^[4] Dugdale discussed this misspelling stating that the appropriate spelling of the species name is aphrositcha as indicated by Mayrick's handwriting on a specimen label. ^[2] In 1971 this species was placed within the genus Mallobathra. ^[5] This name was confirmed by the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity. ^[1]

Description

Illustration of a male M. aphrosticha by George Hudson.

Meyrick described the adults of this species as follows:

♂ 22 mm. Head, palpi, and antennae dark fuscous, antennal ciliations 2+1⁄2. Thorax dark fuscous, with several whitish dots posteriorly. Abdomen dark grey, somewhat whitish-mixed. Forewings elongate, rather narrow at base, posteriorly dilated, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen obliquely rounded; all veins separate; white, mixed with grey in disc and towards costa, coarsely reticulated throughout with dark fuscous; the white colour forms a more conspicuous quadrate spot on dorsum before middle, including a dark - fuscous dorsal strigula, and preceded and followed by irregular dark-fuscous spots : cilia fuscous, basal half spotted with white. Hindwings dark grey; cilia fuscous. ♀ apterous, active. ^[3]

The female of this species is semi-apterous. ^[4]

Distribution

Hump Ridge Track, type locality of M. aphrosticha.

This species is endemic to New Zealand. ^[1] It has been collected in Fiordland, Otago and Southland. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Behaviour

This species is on the wing in December. ^[4]

References

1. Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 463. ISBN   978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC   973607714. OL   25288394M. Wikidata   Q45922947.
2. Dugdale , J. S. (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. 14. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: 68. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134.
3. Edward Meyrick (10 June 1912). "Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 44: 123. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q109393380.
4. George Vernon Hudson (1912). "Notes on semi-apterous females in certain species of Lepidoptera, with an attempted explanation". Entomologist's Monthly Magazine . 48: 271. ISSN   0013-8908. Wikidata   Q110093593.
5. Dugdale, J. S. (10 November 1971). "Entomology of the Aucklands and other islands south of New Zealand: Lepidoptera, excluding non-crambine Pyralidae". Pacific Insects Monographs . 27: 139. ISSN   0078-7515. Wikidata   Q64006453.
6. Alfred Philpott (1917). "A list of the Lepidoptera of Otago". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 49: 271. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q63958657.
7. "Mallobathra aphrosticha". Auckland Museum Collections Online. 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.