Stigmella maoriella

Stigmella maoriella is a species of moth in the family Nepticulidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is classified as Not Threatened by the Department of Conservation.

Stigmella maoriella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Nepticulidae
Genus:
Stigmella
Species:
S. maoriella
Binomial name
Stigmella maoriella
(Walker, 1864)
Synonyms
  • Tinea maoriella Walker, 1864
  • Nepticula maoriella (Walker, 1864)

Taxonomy

This species was described by Francis Walker in 1864 and named Tinea maoriella using a specimen collected by Lt-Colonel Daniel Bolton.[1] In 1988 John S. Dugdale assigned the species to the genus Stigmella.[2] The lectotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]

Description

Walker described the species as follows:

Female. Cinereous, shining. Head white. Palpi very short. Fore wings rounded at the tips, with a short transverse dark cinereous line near the base, and with two dark cinereous bands, each of which contains a black point ; space along the exterior border with black speckles. Length of the body 1 line ; of the wings ​2 1⁄2 lines.[1]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[3] It is found from Auckland to Hawke's Bay.[4]

It can be differentiated from its close relatives S. ogygia and S. hakekeae as S. maoriella lacks the large cornutus on the aedeagus of the male of the species.[5] S. maoriella is also larger than S. ilsea.[5]

Habitat and host species

The larvae of this species feed on Olearia species.[4]

Conservation Status

This species has been classified as being "Not Threatened" under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.[6]

References
  1. Walker, Francis (1864). "Part XXX. Tineites". List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. London: 837–1096. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  2. Dugdale, J. S. (1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 14: 54 – via Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd.
  3. "Stigmella maoriella (Walker, 1864)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  4. "NZTCS - Lepidoptera spreadsheet". www.doc.govt.nz. 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  5. Donner, Hans; Wilkinson, Christopher (1989). "Nepticulidae (Insecta: Lepidoptera)" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 16: 28–29. ISBN 0477025382.
  6. Hoare, R.J.B.; Dugdale, J.S.; Edwards, E.D.; Gibbs, G.W.; Patrick, B.H.; Hitchmough, R.A.; Rolfe, J.R. (2017). "Conservation status of New Zealand butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), 2015" (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series. 20: 9.


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