Orthenches dictyarcha

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Orthenches dictyarcha
Orthenches dictyarcha NZAC04201487.jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Plutellidae
Genus:
Orthenches
Species:
O. dictyarcha
Binomial name
Orthenches dictyarcha
Meyrick, 1927 [1]

Orthenches dictyarcha is a moth of the family Plutellidae first described by Edward Meyrick in 1927. [1] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed at Arthur's Pass and at Hollyford Valley in Fiordland. It is one of the larger species in its genus and is similar in appearance to O. homerica . Its preferred habitat is beech forest and adults are on the wing in January.

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1927 and named Orthenches dictyarcha using a male specimen collected at Arthur's Pass at 3000 ft. in January by George Hudson. [2] Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1939 book A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand. [3] The female holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London. [4]

Description

Illustration of male. Fig 29 MA I437922 TePapa Plate-LXI-A-supplement full (cropped).jpg
Illustration of male.

Meyrick described this species as follows:

♂ 19 mm. Head and thorax whity-brownish, face with a whitish bar. Palpi brown, apex of joints white, terminal joint not longer than second. Forewings rather narrow, slightly dilated, termen straight, rather strongly oblique; 7 to termen; white, veins and transverse strigulae dark fuscous, forming an irregular reticulation; five subtriangular dark fuscous spots on dorsum from ¼ to ¾, plical area suffused pale bronzy-ochreous above these; three very irregular oblique fuscous fasciae partially suffused dark fuscous on edges from costa at one-fifth, two-fifths, and three-fifths, terminated by plical suffusion; two dark fuscous spots on costa posteriorly, and a praemarginal streak before lower part of termen; cilia fuscous, a darker basal line, a white spot below apex, tornal area partly suffused whitish, costal cilia white barred dark fuscous. Hindwings 4–6 rather approximated towards base; pale grey; cilia grey-whitish. [2]

This species is regarded as one of the largest in the genus. [2] [3] It is very similar in appearance to O. homerica . [4]

Distribution

Beech forest habitat at Arthur's Pass Arthurs Pass - panoramio.jpg
Beech forest habitat at Arthur's Pass

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed at Arthur's Pass. [5] [3] It has also been collected in Fiordland at Milford Road, above lower Hollyford Valley. [6]

Habitat

This species frequents beech forest. [3]

Behaviour

Adults of this species are on the wing in January. [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 3 Edward Meyrick (15 November 1927). "Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand . 58: 315. ISSN   1176-6166. Wikidata   Q108312620.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 George Vernon Hudson (1939), A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington, p. 462, Wikidata   Q109420935
  4. 1 2 John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. 14: 73. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "Orthenches dictyarcha Meyrick, 1927". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  6. ↑ "Orthenches dictyarcha NZAC04201487". bins.boldsystems.org. 2020. Retrieved 2022-05-17.


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