Trachypepla importuna

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Trachypepla importuna
Trachypepla importuna male lectotype.jpg
Male lectotype
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Oecophoridae
Genus: Trachypepla
Species:
T. importuna
Binomial name
Trachypepla importuna
Meyrick, 1914 [1]

Trachypepla importuna is a moth of the family Oecophoridae first described by Edward Meyrick in 1914. It is endemic to New Zealand. Adults have been collected in the North Island in January but the species is regarded as being poorly known.

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1914 using specimens collected by George Hudson in January at Ohakune and Wellington. [2] Hudson discussed this species in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. [3] The lectotype specimen, collected at Ohakune, is held at Natural History Museum, London. [4]

Description

Meyrick described this species as follows:

♂♀. 16-18 mm. Head and thorax whitish-grey. Palpi ochreous whitish tinged with grey except towards apex of joints. Antennal ciliations of ♂ 1+12. Abdomen whitish-ochreous. Forewings elongate, rather narrow towards base, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen very obliquely rounded ; pale fuscous, somewhat mixed with whitish ; a triangular fuscous patch extending over basal 25 of costa and reaching to below fold, edged posteriorly by an inwardly oblique series of three suffused subconfluent dark-fuscous spots, two lower tufted ; stigmata small, dark fuscous, plical beneath first discal ; second discal connected with tornus by a streak of fuscous suffusion, mixed with dark fuscous, preceded on upper part by some raised white scales ; spots of fuscous suffusion on costa beyond middle and at 34; from second of these an indistinct angulated fuscous line runs to tornus ; a series of cloudy dark - fuscous dots round posterior part of costa and termen : cilia pale fuscous. Hindwings whitish-fuscous ; cilia fuscous- whitish. [2]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. [1] [5] In Wellington it is regarded as being local and uncommon. [6]

Behaviour

Adults of this species are on the wing in January. [4] It is regarded as being poorly known. [6]

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<i>Trachypepla protochlora</i> Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

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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. 462. ISBN   978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC   973607714. OL   25288394M. Wikidata   Q45922947.
  2. 1 2 Edward Meyrick (1914). "Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 46: 108. ISSN   1176-6158. Wikidata   Q98606535.
  3. George Vernon Hudson (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington, OCLC   25449322, Wikidata   Q58593286
  4. 1 2 John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. 14: 106. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN   0111-5383. Wikidata   Q45083134.
  5. "Trachypepla importuna Meyrick, 1914". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-05-02.
  6. 1 2 Brian H. Patrick (1994), Coastal butterflies and moths of Wellington and South Wairarapa. (PDF), Wikidata   Q110426707, archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2021