Opsitycha squalidella

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Opsitycha squalidella
Fig 31 MA I437922 TePapa Plate-LXI-A-supplement full (cropped).jpg
Scientific classification
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Species:
O. squalidella
Binomial name
Opsitycha squalidella
(Meyrick, 1884) [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Philobota squalidellaMeyrick, 1884
  • Borkhausenia morellaHudson, 1939

Opsitycha squalidella is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1884. This species is native to Australia and is likely adventive to New Zealand.

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1884 using several specimens collected in Melbourne and Hobart in December and named Philobota squalidella. [3] In 1939 George Hudson, thinking he was describing a new species, named it Borkhausenia morella. [4] In 2018 the species Borkhausenia morella was synonymised with O. squalidella.

Description

Meyrick described this species as follows:

♂. 14-17 mm. Head ochreous- white. Palpi white, externally irrorated with blackish. Antennae whitish-fuscous. Thorax ochreous-white, mixed with pale ochreous. Abdomen ochreous-whitish. Legs dark fuscous, ringed with ochreous-white, posterior tibiae ochreous- whitish. Fore wings elongate, narrow, costa slightly arched, apex round-pointed, hindmargin extremely obliquely rounded ; ochreous-white, irregularly mixed and suffused with light ochreous, and with a few blackish scales; a small blackish spot at base of costa, another at 14, and a larger triangular spot in middle of costa ; a black dot in disc at 13, a second obliquely before it on fold, a third in disc at 23, and a fourth on inner margin before anal angle ; an irregular blackish fascia-like blotch from costa before apex to middle of hindmargin : cilia whitish-ochreous, finely irrorated with grey, basal half narrowly barred with blackish. Hind wings grey, base paler ; cilia whitish, irrorated with grey. [3]

Distribution

This species is native to Australia and likely adventive to New Zealand. [1] In Australia this species is found in central and southern New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and southwestern Western Australia. [1] In New Zealand this species was first recorded in Auckland on or prior to 1939 and has also been observed in Napier. [1] It is regarded as being established in New Zealand but is scarce and local. [1]

Hosts

Although the life history of this species is not known it has been hypothesised that the larvae of O. squalidella feed on leaf litter. [1]

Behaviour

In New Zealand adults are on the wing from October to December. [1] The adults of this species are attracted to light. [5]


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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 RJB Hoare; N Hudson (December 2018). "Adventive moths (Lepidoptera) established in mainland New Zealand: Additions and new identifications since 2001". Australian Entomologist . 45 (3): 273–324. ISSN   1320-6133. Wikidata   Q110305107.
  2. "Opsitycha squalidella (Myerick, 1884)". nzinverts.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  3. 1 2 E. Meyrick (1884). "Descriptions of Australian Micro-Lepidoptera. X. Oecophoridae (continued)". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 8: 496. doi:10.5962/BHL.PART.28677. ISSN   0370-047X. Wikidata   Q56015274.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  4. George Vernon Hudson (1939), A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, pp. 444–445, OCLC   9742724, Wikidata   Q109420935 PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  5. "Genus Opsitycha – Field Guide to the Insects of Tasmania" . Retrieved 2024-01-06.