Mnesarchaea paracosma

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Mnesarchaea paracosma
Mnesarchaea paracosma 110099862 (cropped).jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Mnesarchaeidae
Genus: Mnesarchaea
Species:
M. paracosma
Binomial name
Mnesarchaea paracosma

Mnesarchaea paracosma is a species of primitive moths in the family Mnesarchaeidae.[1] It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the Kaikōura, mid and south Canterbury, MacKenzie, Otago Lakes, Central Otago, Dunedin, Fiordland and Southland areas. M. paracosma lives in a wide variety of habitats including tussock grasslands, shrubland, and damp native beech or podocarp forests, at a range of altitudes from around sea-level up to 1200 m. Adults of this species are on the wing from October to February and are day flying, although they are attracted to light at night.

Taxonomy[]

Lake Wakatipu, type locality of M. paracosma.

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1885.[2] The male lectotype specimen, collected by Meyrick at Lake Wakatipu on the 15 December 1882, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[3]

Description[]

M. paracosma illustrated by George Hudson

Meyrick described the species as follows:

Forewings yellowish-ochreous, with a wedge-shaped whitish streak from middle of costa, and some irregular dark fuscous suffusions.[2]

Hudson went on to give a more detailed description in his 1928 publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[4] He described the species as follows:

The expansion of the wings is considerably under 3⁄8 in. The forewings are elliptical, pale ochreous-golden with two whitish transverse bands; the first at 1⁄2 strongly oblique almost reaching the tornus, the second at 3⁄4 nearly straight; there are a few faint brownish scales on the costa near the base and on the fold; a conspicuous patch of darker scales in the disc before the middle; several irregular elongate patches near the outer edge of the first transverse band and a very dense patch of brownish scales on the apical area; the cilia are golden-ochreous mixed with brownish scales near the apex. The hind-wings are grey with strong golden-purplish reflections; the cilia are brown-ochreous on the costa and grey on the termen.[4]

This species is small and coloured ochreous-brown, with brown, white and yellow patches over its forewings.[5] The antennae of M. paracosma are pale ochreous-yellow.[5] The male of this species has unusually shaped genitalia that assists with the identification of this species.[6]

Distribution[]

This species is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the Kaikōura, mid and south Canterbury, MacKenzie, Otago Lakes, Central Otago, Dunedin, Fiordland and Southland areas.[7][5]

Habitat[]

M. paracosma lives in a wide variety of habitats including tussock grasslands, shrubland, and damp native beech or podocarp forests but are likely to be found near watercourses or moist areas as a result of their larvae existing on periphyton.[5] The species exists at a range of altitudes from around sea-level up to 1200 m.[5]

Behaviour[]

Adults of this species are on the wing from October to February.[5] Although this moth is normally day flying it is also attracted to light and has been collected via night light trapping.[5]

Host species[]

The larvae of M. paracosma require moist periphyton and are believed to feed on a variety of fungi, algae, mosses, liverworts and fern sporangia.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Mnesarchaea paracosma Meyrick, 1885". www.nzor.org.nz. 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b Edward Meyrick (1885). "Descriptions of New Zealand microlepidoptera. Gelechiadae VIII. Tineina (part)". New Zealand Journal of Science. 2 (12): 591. Wikidata Q108097450.
  3. ^ John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. 14: 55. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b George Vernon Hudson (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington, p. 366, OCLC 25449322, Wikidata Q58593286
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h George William Gibbs; Niels Peder Kristensen (28 May 2019). Mnesarchaeidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Hepialoidea) (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand (in English and Maori). Vol. 78. Lincoln: Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research. pp. 44–45. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.78. ISBN 978-0-947525-60-6. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q104802925. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2021.
  6. ^ Alfred Philpott (1927). "The Genitalia of the Mnesarchaeidae". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 57: 712. ISSN 1176-6166. Wikidata Q108225849.
  7. ^ "Mnesarchaea paracosma Meyrick, 1885". nztcs.org.nz. 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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