Tingena maranta

Tingena maranta
Male holotype
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Oecophoridae
Genus:	Tingena
Species:	T. maranta
Binomial name
Tingena maranta (Meyrick, 1886) [1]
Synonyms [2]
Oecophora marantaMeyrick, 1886 Borkhausenia maranta(Meyrick, 1886)

Tingena maranta is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae. ^[2] It is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the lower South Island. Adults of this species are on the wing from October until January. This species prefers grass or low herb habitat. Unlike its close relatives it does not inhabit native forest.

Taxonomy

This species was originally described by Edward Meyrick in 1886 using a specimen collected by Alfred Philpott in December at Invercargill and named Oecophora maranta. ^[3] In 1915 Meyrick discussed this species under the name Borkhausenia maranta. ^[4] In 1926 Alfred Philpott discussed and illustrated the genitalia of the male of this species. ^[5] In 1928 George Hudson also discussed and illustrated this species in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. ^[6] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species within the genus Tingena . ^[2] The male holotype is held at the Natural History Museum, London. ^[2]

Description

Male T. maranta illustrated by George Hudson.

Meyrick described this species as follows:

♂. 12 mm. Head, palpi, antennae, thorax, abdomen, and legs whitish-ochreous. Forewings elongate, narrow, costa moderately arched, apex round-pointed, hindmargin extremely obliquely rounded; pale whitish-ochreous; extreme base of costa dark fuscous : cilia pale whitish-ochreous. Hindwings grey-whitish; cilia very pale whitish-ochreous. ^[3]

This species is pale in colouration and has distinctively narrow forewings. ^[6]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Invercargill, as well as at Dunedin, Mount Ida, Central Otago and Mount Earnslaw / Pikirakatahi. ^{[1] [6]}

Behaviour

Adults are nocturnal and are on the wing from October until January. ^{[6] [7]}

Habitat and hosts

This species prefers to inhabit areas with grass or low herbs, and does not inhabit native forest. ^[6] Specimens have been collected in kānuka shrubland. ^[8] The larvae of T. maranta feed on leaf litter with specimens having been found in Poa litter. ^{[8] [9]}

References

1. Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 462. 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: 103. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134.
3. E. Meyrick (1886). "Descriptions of Australian Micro-Lepidoptera: Part XII Oecophoridae (continued)". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 10: 791. doi:10.5962/BHL.PART.17965. ISSN   0370-047X. Wikidata   Q56010159.
4. E. Meyrick (12 July 1915). "Revision of New Zealand Tineina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 47: 213. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q63123349.
5. Alfred Philpott (1926). "List of New Zealand species of Borkhausenia (Oecophoridae: Lepidoptera), including new species". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 56: 399–413. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q110157185.
6. Hudson, G. V. (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 263, LCCN   88133764, OCLC   25449322, Wikidata   Q58593286
7. Patrick, B. H. (January 1989). "Survey of Lepidoptera at Tara Hills Research Station" (PDF). New Zealand Entomologist. 12 (1): 42–48. doi:10.1080/00779962.1989.9722562. ISSN   0077-9962. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-09.
8. GDH (July 2021). "New Zealand Aluminium Smelters Limited. NZAS Closure Preliminary Study. Environmental Study Report – Ecology" (PDF). www.nzas.co.nz. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
9. Patrick, Brian H.; Lyford, Brian M.; Ward, John B.; Barratt, Barbara I.P. (December 1992). "Lepidoptera and other insects of the Rastus Burn Basin, The Remarkables, Otago" . Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 22 (4): 265–278. Bibcode:1992JRSNZ..22..265P. doi:10.1080/03036758.1992.10420820. ISSN   0303-6758.