Pseudocoremia leucelaea

Pseudocoremia leucelaea
Female
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Pseudocoremia
Species:
P. leucelaea
Binomial name
Pseudocoremia leucelaea
(Meyrick, 1909)[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Selidosema productata (Walker, 1862)
  • Selidosema leucelaea Meyrick, 1909

Pseudocoremia leucelaea, also known as the forest looper, conifer flash or the white-marked brown, is a species of moth in the family Geometridae.[1] The species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1909. It only occurs in New Zealand, where it is found in the North, South and Stewart Islands. This species inhabits both native and non-native conifer forests. The larvae feed on the leaves of a variety of conifers. Larvae are nocturnal; during the day they cling to twigs with their prolegs holding their bodies rigidly extended. This posture, as well as the colouration of the larva, helps it avoid detection. The larvae have been shown to be parasitised by a parasitic wasp in the genus Glyptapanteles. This species pupates in soil or leaf litter underneath host plants. Adults are variable in appearance and are on the wing throughout the year. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. A longitudinal study indicated this moth suffered a population decline in the study area in Lower Hutt the mid-1980s, from which the population did not recover. It has been hypothesised that this decline was caused by the arrival of the wasp species Vespula vulgaris in New Zealand.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1909 and originally named Selidosema leucelaea.[3] In 1898 George Hudson illustrated the species in his book New Zealand moths and butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera) under the name Selidosema productata.[4] In 1928 and again in 1950 Hudson discussed and illustrated the species under the name S. leucelaea.[5][6] John S. Dugdale, in 1961, used the name S. leucelaea when studying the external morphology of the larvae of this species.[7] In 1988 Dugdale placed this species in the genus Pseudocoremia.[2] The lectotype, collected by Alfred Philpott in Invercargill, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]

Description

Egg

Hudson described the egg of this species as follows:

The egg is oval, slightly smaller at one end, with the surface strongly honey-combed; its length is about 1⁄32 inch (0.8 mm), and its colour is pale green, becoming pale pink about a week after being laid.[5]

Larva

Illustration of larva.

Hudson also described the larva as follows:

The young larva, when first hatched, is about 1⁄8 inch (3.2 mm) long, very slender, with the head ochreous-brown and the body yellowish-green; there are two broad reddish-brown lateral lines, which become confluent on the last two segments, and a few short black bristles. After the second moult the larva is pale brown, with obscure darker brown dorsal and sub-dorsal lines. The full-grown larva is about 1+1⁄4 inches (31.8 mm) in length; the head is very small, dark brown, with shining black markings; the body is rather slender, stouter posteriorly, with a pair of humps on the back of segments 6, 9 and 12; its general colour is yellowish-brown with numerous fine irregular dark brown wavy markings; the skin of the larva is somewhat wrinkled and roughened; there is a series of large elongate-oval dull green spots on the back of segments 2 to 8 inclusive, and a series of similar markings on the sides of segments 5 to 8 inclusive; the second segment is almost entirely green, and there are obscure greenish patches on the sides of segments 11 and 12; a few isolated black bristles are scattered over the larva.[5]

Hudson pointed out that the larvae are variable in colour with some being wholly brown while others have large green markings.[5] The colouration of the larvae assists in camouflaging it against the twigs of its host plants.[6] The larvae of the sister species P. productata are also variable and it is difficult to distinguish between the two species at this stage of life.[6]

Adults

Adult at rest on a tree trunk.

The adults have a wingspan of 30 millimetres (1.2 in) to 34 millimetres (1.3 in).[8] The adults are very variable in appearance.[3] The colours of the adult moth are also sexually dimorphic.[3] While both sexes are mottled, the female has a primary buff undertone, with earthy coppery colours being present, whereas the male has a more earthy colouring with mottling being present as well as distinct forewing banding, which, although present in the female, is less distinct.[3] The body shape and antennae also differ between the male and female, with males having a slender, conical body shape, bushy, feathery antennae, and a hair-pencil at the bottom of their abdomens.[3] The female has more thread-like antennae and has a fatter abdomen lacking the cone shape seen in the male.[3]

Philpott stated that adults could be confused with P. productata, however Meyrick was of the opinion that the two species could be easily distinguished by the different form of median band on the forewings.[3] P. productata has a median band where the posterior margin is obtusely angulated above the middle of the forewing.[3] Meyrick also pointed out that P. leucelaea is similar in appearance to P. melinata, from which it differs as P. leucelaea has much longer antennal pectinations, less rounded termen of forewings, and a distinct and unusually straight white posterior band across the forewing.[3]

Hudson stated that the mottled colouring of the forewings camouflages the insect well when resting on lichen-covered tree trunks.[5] Almost completely black male and female specimens have been observed.[9][6]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand[10] and found throughout the country.[11]

Habitat and hosts

Larval host Pectinopitys ferruginea.

P. leucelaea inhabits forests where its host plants, conifer trees, are common.[5][12] It can be found up to considerable elevations.[5] The larvae feed on the leaves of native conifers including Podocarpus totara, Agathis australis, Phyllocladus alpinus, Phyllocladus trichomanoides and Pectinopitys ferruginea, as well as pine trees.[8][13]

Life cycle and behaviour

Adults are active throughout the year with the moth being commonly observed between November and May.[8] It has been hypothesised that there are two distinct generations per year.[9]

The life cycle starts with an egg laid on the foliage of the host conifers from which a larva hatches and then feeds until pupation.[5] It takes about a fortnight to three weeks for the eggs to hatch.[9] The larvae are active at night but during the day they cling to twigs with their prolegs holding their bodies rigidly extended.[5] This posture, as well as the colouration of the larvae, helps them avoid detection.[5] The larvae pupates on the earth or in leaf litter beneath its host plant.[11] Adults emerge commonly between October and April, although they can be seen year-round.[11]

Adults are nocturnal and are attracted to light.[8] They have been collected via a mercury vapour light trap.[14] Adults have been observed visiting flowering plants including Pittosporum pimeleoides and Veronica salicifolia.[15][16]

Parasites and predators

The larvae of P. leucelaea have been shown to be parasitised by species in the parasitic wasp genus Glyptapanteles.[17]

A longitudinal study in Lower Hutt from 1974 to 2016 indicated the population of this moth declined in the study area in the mid-1980s and did not recover.[18] It has been hypothesised that the arrival of Vespula vulgaris in New Zealand might be the cause of the population decline.[18]

Interactions with humans

This species has a reputation as a predictor of rain as the adult moth is said to be seen flying around artificial lights prior to rainfall.[19]

References

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  1. 1 2 "Pseudocoremia leucelaea (Meyrick, 1909)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Dugdale, John S. (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. 14. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: 168. doi:10.7931/j2/fnz.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Meyrick, Edward (1 July 1911). "Notes and Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 43: 6–7. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q58200989. BHL page 3312287 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ↑ Hudson, George Vernon (1898), New Zealand moths and butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera), Illustrator: George Hudson, London: West, Newman, & Co., pp. Plate IX, doi:10.5962/bhl.title.7912, OCLC 980865393, Wikidata Q19073637 BHL page 7643825
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hudson, George Vernon (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 141, LCCN 88133764, OCLC 25449322, Wikidata Q58593286 BHL page 61899752 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Hudson, George Vernon (1950), Fragments of New Zealand entomology.: A popular account of all New Zealand cicadas. The natural history of the New Zealand glow-worm. A second supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand and notes on many other native insects., Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 91, Wikidata Q107693053
  7. ↑ Dugdale, John S. (25 November 1961). "Larval Characters of Taxonomic Significance of New Zealand Ennomines (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, zoology. 1 (16): 215–233. ISSN 0372-1396. Wikidata Q88303685.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Knox, Carey (2024). Butterflies & Moths of Aotearoa New Zealand. John Beaufoy Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-913679-66-8. Wikidata Q130640046.
  9. 1 2 3 Gaskin, D. E. (1966), The butterflies and common moths of New Zealand, Christchurch: Whitcombe & Tombs Limited, pp. 148–149, OCLC 4624894, Wikidata Q115000559
  10. ↑ Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 459. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3. LCCN 2011379669. OCLC 973607714. OL 25288394M. Wikidata Q45922947.
  11. 1 2 3 "Pseudoremia leucelaea - Flash". Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust. 14 January 2024. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  12. ↑ McGregor, P. G.; Watts, P. J.; Esson, M. J. (January 1987). "Light trap records from southern North Island hill country". New Zealand Entomologist. 10 (1): 110. doi:10.1080/00779962.1987.9722515. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q57483702.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: miscellaneous url (link)
  13. ↑ Crowe, A. (2017). Which New Zealand insect?. Auckland: Penguin Books. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-14-100636-9. LCCN 2003386434. OCLC 52477325. OL 3731007M. Wikidata Q105622564.
  14. ↑ Patrick, B. H.; Archibald, R. D. (January 1988). "Lepidoptera light-trapped at Owaka, South Otago". New Zealand Entomologist. 11 (1): 70–72. doi:10.1080/00779962.1988.9722541. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q105740584.
  15. ↑ Young, Maureen (December 2006). "In pursuit of Pittosporum pimeleoides, Part 2" (PDF). Auckland Botanical Society Journal. 64 (2): 148–150. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Pseudocoremia leucelaea". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. 2011. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Berndt, L. A.; Berry, J. A.; Brockerhoff, E. (January 2006). "Parasitoids and predators of the endemic defoliator Pseudocoremia suavis (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae)". New Zealand Entomologist. 29 (1): 95. doi:10.1080/00779962.2006.9722142. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q54606368.
  18. 1 2 Flux, J. E. C; Flux, M. M. (3 July 2019). "Polymorph stability, and changed flight period, of Declana floccosa Walker, 1858 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in New Zealand, 1974–2016". New Zealand Entomologist. 42 (2): 100–109. doi:10.1080/00779962.2019.1676134. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q105348997.
  19. ↑ Hoare, Robert (2014). A Photographic Guide to Moths & Butterflies of New Zealand. Illustrator: Olivier Jean-Philippe Ball. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-86966-399-5. Wikidata Q59396160.
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