Heterocrossa exochana

Heterocrossa exochana is a species of moth in the family Carposinidae. It is endemic to New Zealand.

Heterocrossa exochana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Carposinidae
Genus:
Carposina
Species:
H. exochana
Binomial name
Heterocrossa exochana
Synonyms[2]
  • Carposina exochana Meyrick, 1888

Taxonomy

This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1888 using material he collected in Nelson in January.[2][3] In 1922 Meyrick classified Heterocrossa as a synonym of the genus Carposina.[4][5] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 publication The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand.[6] In 1978 Elwood Zimmerman argued that the genus Heterocrassa should not be a synonym of Carposina as the genitalia of the species within the genus Heterocrassa are distinctive.[4] In 1988 John S. Dugdale assigned the species back to the genus Heterocrossa.[2] The holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]

Description

This species was described by Meyrick as follows:

Female. — 21 mm. Head and thorax ochreous-white. Palpi with upper longitudinal half ochreous-white, lower dark fuscous. Antennas, abdomen, and legs ochreous-whitish, anterior legs suffused with dark fuscous. Forewings elongate, scarcely dilated, costa moderately arched, apex round-pointed, hind-margin faintly sinuate, rather strongly oblique ; pale whitish-ochreous ; about ten small irregular scattered black dots in disc ; a subterminal series of irregular cloudy black dots, obsolete towards costa and inner margin : cilia pale whitish-ochreous. Hindwings and cilia ochreous-whitish.[3]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[7][1] Other than its type locality of Nelson, this species has been collected in Masterton, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill.[6] The species has also been collected in Fiordland[8] and Hawkes Bay.[9]

Biology and behaviour

The adults of this moth are on the wing in from September to May.[6] This species is attracted to light.[6]

Host species

The larvae of this species feed on the fruits of Muehlenbeckia species.[10]

References
  1. "Heterocrossa exochana Meyrick, 1888". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  2. Dugdale, J. S. (1988). "Lepidoptera – annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 14: 1–269. ISBN 0477025188. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  3. Meyrick, Edward (1888). "Notes on New Zealand Tortricina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 20: 73–76 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. Zimmerman, Elwood (1978). Insects of Hawaii. 9. Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press. p. 797. hdl:10125/7338. ISBN 9780824804879.
  5. Meyrick, Edward (1922). "Lepidoptera Heterocera Fam. Carposinidiae". Genera Insectorum. fasc.176–180: 1–235 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  6. Hudson, G. V. (1928). The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. Wellington: Ferguson & Osborn Ltd. p. 217. OCLC 25449322.
  7. Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. Volume two. Kingdom animalia : chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. Christchurch, N.Z.: Canterbury University Press. p. 457. ISBN 9781877257933. OCLC 973607714.
  8. Clarke, Charles E. (1933). "The Lepidoptera of the Te Anau-Manapouri lakes districts". Transactions and Proceedings of the Institute of New Zealand. 63: 112–132.
  9. Davies, T. H. (1973). "List of Lepidoptera collected in areas surrounding Hastings and Napier". New Zealand Entomologist. 5 (2): 204–216. doi:10.1080/00779962.1973.9723002.
  10. "PlantSynz - Invertebrate herbivore biodiversity assessment tool: Database". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
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