Trigonistis anticlina

Trigonistis anticlina is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Adults of this species inhabit dense native forest habitat in ravines.

Trigonistis anticlina
Female
Male
Scientific classification
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T. anticlina
Binomial name
Trigonistis anticlina
(Meyrick, 1901)[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Hypenodes anticlina Meyrick, 1901

Taxonomy

It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1901 using two specimens collected from Wellington by George Hudson.[2] This species was initially confused with the Australian species Hyperaucha octias (now known as Lithilaria proestans) however Meyrick corrected his and Hudson's error.[2][3] Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[4] In 1988 John S. Dugdale assigned this species to the genus Trigonistis.[1] The syntype specimens are held at the Natural History Museum, London.[1]

Description

This species was described by Meyrick as follows:

♂♀. 24-28 m.m. Head and thorax pale whitish-ochreous, sprinkled with fuscous and dark fuscous. Forewings triangular, costa arched anteriorly, slightly sinuate in middle, termen oblique, waved, concave on upper half, obtusely angulated on vein 4 ; pale whitish-ochreous, irregularly sprinkled with fuscous or brownish-ochreous ; a short blackish line from costa almost at base ; first line irregularly dentate, blackish, more or less partially obsolete ; a rhomboidal spot of blackish-fuscous suffusion in disc above middle, above which are two short blackish-fuscous marks from costa ; space between this and second line forming an irregular suffused white spot ; costal edge above this dark fuscous dotted with whitish ; second line waved, whitish, interruptedly edged anteriorly with blackish, curved inwards on lower half; subterminal dentate, pale, edged with fuscous, space between second and subterminal lines on upper third filled with blackish -fuscous ; a terminal series of undefined dark fuscous dots : cilia fuscous-whitish, mixed with fuscous. Hindwings grey-whitish sprinkled with grey ; a faint pale curved postmedian line, darker-edged anteriorly.[2]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[5] It is found in the North Island and the north of the South Island.[4] This species has been found to occur in and around National Park, Ohakune, Taihape, and its type locality of Wellington.[4] It has also been collected at Dawson's Falls at Egmont National Park.[6]

Behaviour

T. anticlina is on the wing from October to December.[2]

Habitat and hosts

This species prefers dense forested ravine habitat.[2] It can be found amongst dead leaf litter or fern fronds.[4] The adults of the species has been found to be resident in leaf litter of kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) forest.[7] Larvae are suspected to feed on native leaf litter or fungi.[8]

References

  1. Dugdale, J. S. (1988). "Lepidoptera — annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 14: 211. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  2. Meyrick, Edward (1901). "XVII. Descriptions of New Lepidoptera from New Zealand". Transactions of the Entomological Society of London. 1901: 565–580 via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. Schacht, Bernd (22 May 2009). "Lithilaria proestans (T.P. Lucas, 1895)". www.lepidopteraworld.de. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
  4. Hudson, George Vernon (1928). The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. Wellington: Ferguson & Osborn Ltd. p. 78. OCLC 25449322.
  5. "Trigonistis anticlina (Meyrick, 1901)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  6. Fox, K. J. (January 1970). "The Lepidoptera of the Egmont National Park" (PDF). New Zealand Entomologist. 4 (4): 30–38. doi:10.1080/00779962.1970.9723070. Retrieved 5 November 2018 via Internet Archive.
  7. Dugdale, John S.; Hutcheson, John (1997). Invertebrate values of kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) stands, Gisborne region (PDF). Wellington: Dept. of Conservation. pp. Appendix. ISBN 0478019211. OCLC 53151911.
  8. Berndt, L.A.; Sharpe, A.; Withers, T.M.; Kimberley, M.; Gresham, B. (2009). "Risks to non-target species from potential biological control agent Cotesia urabae against Uraba lugens in New Zealand" (PDF). New Zealand Plant Protection. 62: 168–173 via Researchgate.


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