Sabatinca lucilia

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Sabatinca lucilia
Sabatinca lucilia Lectotype specimen.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. lucilia
Binomial name
Sabatinca lucilia
Clarke, 1920 [1]

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

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was described by Charles Edwin Clarke in 1920 using a specimen collected via electric light at Waitomo Hotel and another collected at Kauri Gully in Auckland. [2] The latter specimen was designated by George Gibbs as the lectotype specimen and is held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. [3] [2]

Description

S. lucilia, illustrated by George Hudson Fig 9 MA I437910 TePapa Plate-XLIX-The-butterflies full (cropped).jpg
S. lucilia, illustrated by George Hudson
Hindwing venation of Sabatinca lucilia Hindwing venation of Sabatinca lucilia.png
Hindwing venation of Sabatinca lucilia

Clarke described the species as follows:

12 mm. Head, face, and palpi covered with long bronze-brown hair. Antennae purplish tending to brown at tips. Thorax brown, densely covered with long brown hair. Abdomen grey-blackish along sides. Legs ochreous tinged with grey-blackish. Forewings ovate-lanceolate, costa bent abruptly near base, arched, apex less acute than in incongruella; basal area to nearly 13 ochreous suffused with ruby banded by abrupt black transverse line; an ochreous-grey band slightly suffused with ruby reaching to nearly 12, widening on dorsum; a dark fascia bordered blackish-grey, constricted both sides at middle and narrowed on anal margin; at 23 another light grey band slightly tinged with orange but broken in centre by longitudinal blackish stripe; a transverse blackish-bordered ochreus band, beyond which to apex light grey slightly tinged with orange; cilia ochreous with dark-greyish-brown bars in continuation of the dark markings on the wings. Hindwings dark grey suffused with violet, brighter towards apex; cilia dark grey with a few orange hairs. [2]

In 1923 Alfred Philpott studied the wing venation of species within the Sabatinca genus and split the species in the genus into three groups. [4] One of the groups contained S. lucilia and S. calliarcha . [4]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. [1] This species is found in the top half of the North Island. [2]

Behaviour

The adults of this species are on the wing from the end of November until the beginning of March. [2]

Hosts and habitat

The larvae of this species likely feed on foliose liverwort species with the adults likely feeding on fern spores or sedge pollen. [2] Adults have been found on a sunny moss-covered clay bank. [2] The species can be found in multiple forest types such as kauri, kanuka and Nothofagus and prefers to inhabit damp fern covered banks.

Related Research Articles

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

Sabatinca incongruella is a species of moth of the family Micropterigidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found only in the northern parts of the South Island. It is a day flying moth and is on the wing from mid January until late February. The larvae of this species feed on liverworts and the adult moths feed on the spores of fern species in the genus Pneumatopteris. This species can be confused with S. chalcophanes as it is very similar in appearance.

<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>Sabatinca doroxena</i> Moth species in family Micropterigidae

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 Heteroscyphus normalis. Adults of this species have been located at the blossoms of flowering Cordyline and Ranunculus species.

<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 demissa</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Sabatinca demissa is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the northern half of the North Island. The larvae of this species are small in size and are coloured pale green with darker green or black patches on the rear of its body. The adult moth is coloured yellow-brown with black dots on its forewings. It is a small moth with a wingspan of approximately 6.5 mm in length. Unlike many species of moth, it does not have a pheromone communication system. The adults of the species are on the wing from November to January. The larvae of this species feed on leafy types of liverwort. The adults of this species feed on the spores of fertile cones of Lycopodium volubile and Lycopodium scariosum.

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Sabatinca heighwayi is a species of moth belonging to the family Micropterigidae. It was described by Alfred Philpott in 1927 and is endemic to New Zealand. It can be found north of Lewis Pass in the north west of the South Island. Adult moths are on the wing from late September until the middle of January. The host of the larvae of this species is the foliose liverwort Plagiochila circumcincta.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Sabatinca lucilia Clarke, 1920". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2021-11-06.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Charles E. Clarke (1920), New Lepidoptera, vol. 52, pp. 35–35, Wikidata   Q109421868
  3. John Stewart Dugdale (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.
  4. 1 2 Alfred Philpott (14 December 1923). "A Study of the Venation of the New Zealand Species of Micropterygidae". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 54: 155–161. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q109353010.