Xanadoses

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Xanadoses
Xanadoses nielseni 105060175.jpg
Female Xanadoses nielseni
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Cecidosidae
Genus: Xanadoses
Hoare & Dugdale, 2003
Species:
X. nielseni
Binomial name
Xanadoses nielseni
Hoare & Dugdale, 2003

Xanadoses is a monotypic moth genus in the family Cecidosidae. It contains a single species, Xanadoses nielseni, which is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the North and South Islands. X. nielseni is also known by the common name Kamahi bark scribbler. The larval host of this species is Pterophylla sylvicola , Pterophylla sylvicola, Nothofagus fusca , Myrsine salicina , and Quintinia serrata. The larvae mine the bark of the tree leaving "scribble" patterns in the bark.

Contents

Taxonomy

This genus and the species X. nielseni were first described by Robert J. B. Hoare and John S. Dugdale in 2003. [1] [2] The species is named in honour of Ebbe Nielsen. [3] The male holotype specimen, collected as a pupa at Mount Ngongotahā, is held in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection. [1]

Description

X. nielseni is a small, dark coloured moth with dark metallic highlights along with pale whitish patches on its wings. [3] [1] The female has a wingspan of 9.5 mm while the male is slightly larger with a wingspan of 10.5 mm. [1] The larva is coloured a white shade with a brown head and is 4.75 mm in length just prior to pupating. [1] The pupa is light brown in colour and slender in shape. [1]

Distribution

Mount Ngongotaha, the type locality for X. nielseni. View from Mount Ngongotaha.jpg
Mount Ngongotahā, the type locality for X. nielseni.

This species is endemic to New Zealand. [4] [5] It has been collected in the North and South Islands including in the Bay of Plenty and the Nelson regions. [1]

Behaviour

Adults have been observed on the wing from August to December. [1] [6] This species pupates inside the bark of its host tree forming a bulge in the bark at the end of a mine. [1] The interior of the bulge is lined with silk. [1]

Host species

The larvae of this moth mine the bark of host plants Weinmannia racemosa , W. silvicola , Nothofagus fusca , Myrsine salicina , and Quintinia serrata, resulting in "scribble" patterns being formed on the bark of these trees. [1] It has also been hypothesised that Knightia excelsa may also be a larval host of X. nielseni. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Hoare, Robert J. B.; Dugdale, John S. (2003). "Description of the New Zealand incurvarioid Xanadoses nielseni, gen. nov., sp. nov. and placement in Cecidosidae (Lepidoptera)" . Invertebrate Systematics. 17 (1): 47–57. doi:10.1071/is02024. ISSN   1447-2600 – via CSIRO.
  2. ↑ "Xanadoses - Butterflies and Moths of the World". www.nhm.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  3. 1 2 Hoare, Robert (April 2003). "The Scribbler: New Zealand's elusive graffiti artist" (PDF). Te Taiao. 1. Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research: 12. ISSN   1176-2454. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-11.
  4. ↑ Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 457. ISBN   978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC   973607714. OL   25288394M. Wikidata   Q45922947.
  5. ↑ "Xanadoses nielseni Hoare & Dugdale, 2003 - Biota of NZ". biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  6. ↑ "Kamahi Bark Scribbler (Xanadoses nielseni)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
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