Sabatinca doroxena

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Sabatinca doroxena
Sabatinca doroxena 165557065 (cropped).jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Micropterigidae
Genus: Sabatinca
Species:
S. doroxena
Binomial name
Sabatinca doroxena
(Meyrick, 1888) [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Palaeomicra doroxenaMeyrick, 1888
  • Micropardalis doroxena(Meyrick, 1888)

Sabatinca doroxena is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. This small moth has a colourful forewing pattern with stripes and dots evident. It has been hypothesised that the forewing pattern is intended to resemble a jumping spider in order to allow the adult moth to escape predation. Adults of this species are on the wing from the beginning of September until mid January. It prefers damp but sunny habitat in deep forest, at the forest edge or in open shrubland. Larvae feed on foliose liverwort species including on Leptoscyphus normalis . Adults of this species have been located at the blossoms of flowering Cordyline and Ranunculus species.

Contents

Taxonomy

It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1888 using a specimen collected in the Waitākere Ranges in Kauri forest in December and was originally named Palaeomicra doroxena. [2] [3] In 1912 Meyrick placed this species within the genus Micropardalis. [4] Both George Hudson in his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand and J. S. Dugdale in his 1988 Catalogue of New Zealand Lepidoptera used the name Micropardalis doroxena when discussing this species. [5] [6] In 2014 the taxonomy of this species was revised and it was placed within the genus Sabatinca . [1] As a result, this species is now known as Sabatinca doroxena. [1] The holotype specimen is held in the Natural History Museum, London. [1]

Description

Sabatinca doroxena as illustrated by George Hudson Fig 27. Plate XXXIX Sabatinca doroxena (cropped).jpg
Sabatinca doroxena as illustrated by George Hudson

Meyrick described the adults of the species as follows:

Female wingspan 11 mm. Head and palpi light ochreous, sides of crown brown. Antennae dark fuscous, annulated with whitish-ochreous. Thorax ochreous-brown. Abdomen dark grey. Legs dark grey, ringed with pale ochreous. Forewings oblong, costa abruptly bent near base, thence gently arched, apex round-pointed, hindmargin straight, very oblique; neuration quite as in P. chalcophanes, but 7 and 8 separate; pale shining golden; two rather narrow oblique coppery-bronze fasciæ from costa near base and at 13, confluent on inner margin before middle; a straight rather narrow whitish-purplish fascia, margined with coppery-bronze, from middle of costa to inner margin beyond middle; a whitish-purplish black-margined transverse spot from costa at 23, reaching half across wing; a black semi-annular mark, its extremities touching costa at 45 and apex, marked with three shining whitish-purplish spots, and including a spot of ground-colour which contains a black costal dot; a semi-oval black anal blotch, not marginal except at extremities, containing three shining whitish-purplish spots near lower edge, and one in a small projection on upper edge: cilia pale golden, with blackish apical, median, and anal spots. Hindwings dark purple-grey; cilia grey. [3]

Distribution

Waitakere Ranges, type locality of S. doroxena. Waitakere Ranges and Henderson Valley.jpg
Waitakere Ranges, type locality of S. doroxena.

This species is endemic to New Zealand and found throughout the North Island. [1]

Habitat and host species

This species prefers damp but sunny habitat and can be found within deep forest, at the forest edge or in open shrubland. [5] Larvae feed on foliose liverwort species including on Heteroscyphus normalis now known as Leptoscyphus normalis . [1] [7] Adults of this species have been located at the blossoms of flowering Cordyline and Ranunculus species. [1]

Behaviour

Adults of this species are on the wing from the beginning of September until mid January. [1] This moth has been collected by sweeping plant foliage. [8]

Related Research Articles

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Sabatinca aurella is a species of moth of the family Micropterigidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. The larvae of this species are variable in appearance but tend to be coloured yellow-green with greyish patches. The adults of the species have a pale golden appearance with silver or purple coloured bars on the forewings. The moth has an approximate wingspan of around 1 cm. This species is found from the Coromandel Peninsula to the Fox Glacier and is on the wing from September to January. A larval host species is the liverwort Heteroscyphus lingulatus. The preferred habitat of this species is at higher altitudes than other New Zealand endemic species in this genus; and the moth tends to prefer forest or subalpine grass or scrubland.

<i>Sabatinca lucilia</i> Species of moth

Sabatinca lucilia is a species of moth in the family Micropterigidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the top half of the North Island. The adults of this species are on the wing from the end of November until the beginning of March. The larvae of this species likely feed on foliose liverwort species with the adults likely feeding on fern spores or sedge pollen. Adults have been found on a sunny moss-covered clay bank. The species can be found in multiple forest types such as kauri, kanuka and Nothofagus and prefers to inhabit damp fern covered banks

<i>Sabatinca chalcophanes</i> Species of moth

Sabatinca chalcophanes is a moth of the family Micropterigidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the North Island apart from Northland and in the South Island apart from in the east, south of Queen Charlotte Sound. The adults of this species are on the wing from November to April and as a result of this long period it has been hypothesised that this species has two broods. The preferred habitat of this species is in damp lowland forest. The larval host species are foliose liverwort species including Hymenophyton flabellatum.

<i>Zealandopterix zonodoxa</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Zealandopterix zonodoxa is a moth of the family Micropterigidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is located from Hawkes Bay north as well as on Poor Knights, Little Barrier and the Great Barrier Islands. It is the smallest micropterigid in New Zealand and the shiny white markings on the forewing of this species display variation. It is a moth that is active during the day, but has been collected using UV light. Adults are on the wing from September to March and the species has been witnessed visiting the flowers of Nīkau and Cordyline pumilio in large numbers. It inhabits a wide variety of moist indigenous forest but is associated with forests in which podocarps are common. Larvae have been sieved from rotten wood on the floor of a mixed podocarp/broadleaf forest or extracted from moss or from bryophytes.

<i>Sabatinca ianthina</i> Species of moth

Sabatinca ianthina is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It was described by Alfred Philpott in 1921. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species can be found on both the North and the South Islands from the Hawkes Bay down to Westland. The adults of this species are on the wing from the end of September until the middle of December. Although this species resembles Zealandopterix zonodoxa, S. ianthina is a larger moth and the range of the two species only overlaps in White Pine Bush Scenic Reserve in the Hawke’s Bay.

<i>Sabatinca aemula</i> Species of moth

Sabatinca aemula is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the north western parts of the South Island. The larvae of this species has yet to be collected but it has been hypothesised that the larvae subsist on foliose liverworts similar to other species in the Sabatinca genus. The adults of the species are on the wing from the middle of September until the end of December. The adults of S. aemula are very similar in appearance to S. chrysargyra and it has been argued they can only be distinguished by dissection. However more recent research suggests that the colour patterns on the forewings of the two species can be sufficient to distinguish between the two species.

<i>Sabatinca caustica</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Sabatinca caustica is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1912. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in both Southland and at Stewart Island / Rakiura. The adults of this species are variable in appearance with some specimens being mainly white on their forewings while others have forewings that are a more mottled purple-brown colour. Adults are on the wing from the start of October until the middle of December. Larvae feed on the surface of leafy liverworts.

<i>Sabatinca chrysargyra</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Sabatinca chrysargyra is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1886 and is endemic to New Zealand. It can be found from Franz Josef Glacier / Kā Roimata o Hine Hukatere south but only on the western side of the South Island. Adults are on the wing from the beginning of October until the middle of January. Larvae likely feed on foliose liverworts and have been found on species in the genus Plagiochila. The adult moths live in a range of habitats preferring sunny open spaces in forests or snow-tussock grasslands that can range in altitude from near sea level up to 1,230 m. This species is very similar in appearance to Sabatinca aemula and dissection of genitalia is required to distinguish between the two species.

<i>Sabatinca heighwayi</i> Species of moth

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<i>Sabatinca quadrijuga</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Sabatinca quadrijuga is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the Dunedin area and in Southland. The range of S. quadrijuga overlaps with the range of S. caustica.S. quadrijuga was first scientifically described by Edward Meyrick in 1912. As a result of its predominantly black forewings this species looks similar to a small caddisfly. The adults of this species are on the wing from September to November. Larvae feed on leafy liverwort species and the adults likely feed on fern spores or sedge pollen. The species prefers to live in well lit but damp mossy habitats. The nearest relative of S. quadrijuga is S. aurantissima.

<i>Sabatinca aenea</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

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<i>Sabatinca calliarcha</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

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Mnesarchella hamadelpha is a species of primitive moth in the family Mnesarchaeidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the Wellington, Marlborough Sounds, Marlborough and Nelson regions. It is frequently found at altitudes of between 800 and 1400m but can be found as low as approximately 400 m. It is often found in damp moss covered but well lit native forest. This species is very similar in appearance to M. acuta. However although M. hamadelpha is present in the same locations as M. acuta, it is usually found at higher altitudes or at later times in the year. Adults are on the wing from November to February.

<i>Glaucocharis harmonica</i> Species of moth

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<i>Glaucocharis planetopa</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gibbs, G. W. (2014). "Micropterigidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera)" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 72: 1–127. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2018-01-18 via Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd.
  2. Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Sabatinca doroxena". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index . Natural History Museum . Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Meyrick, Edward (1888). "Descriptions on New Zealand Tineina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 20: 77–106 via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. Edward Meyrick (1912). "Lepidoptera Heterocera: family Micropterigidae". Genera Insectorum. Fasc 132: 1–9. Wikidata   Q109405898.
  5. 1 2 Hudson, G. V. (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 367, LCCN   88133764, OCLC   25449322, Wikidata   Q58593286
  6. 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: 52. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134.
  7. Glime, Janice M. (2017). "Chapter 12: Terrestrial Insects: Holometabola – Lepidoptera: Micropterigoidea – Gelechioidea". Bryophyte Ecology. Vol. 2. Michigan Technological University.
  8. T. H. Davies (January 1973). "LIST OF LEPIDOPTERA COLLECTED IN AREAS SURROUNDING HASTINGS AND NAPIER" (PDF). New Zealand Entomologist. 5 (2): 204–216. doi:10.1080/00779962.1973.9723002. ISSN   0077-9962. Wikidata   Q54755566. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2013.