Pyrgotis chrysomela
| Pyrgotis chrysomela | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Pyrgotis chrysomela seen at Ōtari-Wilton's Bush, Wellington | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Tortricidae |
| Genus: | Pyrgotis |
| Species: | P. chrysomela |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyrgotis chrysomela | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Pyrgotis chrysomela is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae.[2] This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1914. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the North and South Islands. This species is associated with Mānuka as well as species in the genus Podocarpus. Larvae web together the leaves of their host species and then feed on new growth. Larvae have been reared on Podocarpus laetus and Podocarpus totara. Adults are on the wing most months of the year.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1914 and originally named Catamachta chrysomela.[3] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under this name in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[4] In 1971 John S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Pyrgotis.[5] The holotype, collected by George Hudson in January at Kaeo, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[6]
Distribution
P. chrysomela is endemic to New Zealand.[2] It has been observed in both the North and South Islands.[7]
Description
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The wingspan is about 17 mm.[3] The forewings are very bright, glossy orange-brown with several rows of extremely faint purplish spots in the disc, only visible in a strong light. The hind-wings are grey, tipped with orange-brown at the apex.[4]
It has been hypothesised that there is a grey form of the male of this species although further investigation is needed to confirm that these specimens are a form of P. chrysomela.[8]
Behaviour
The larvae of this species web together the leaves of species in the genus Podocarpus and then feed on the new growth.[9] Adults have been observed on the wing most months of the year but are most commonly observed from October until March.[7]
Habitat and hosts
This species has been observed amongst Leptospermum scoparium.[4] This species is also said to be associated with Podocarpus nivalis.[10] Larvae have been reared on Podocarpus laetus and Podocarpus totara.[9]
References
- ↑ "Pyrogotis species". www.tortricidae.com. tortricid.net. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- 1 2 3 "Pyrgotis chrysomela (Meyrick, 1914)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
- 1 2 Edward Meyrick (1914). "Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 46: 103–104. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q98606535. BHL page 3297085
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. - 1 2 3 Hudson, G. V. (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 221, LCCN 88133764, OCLC 25449322, Wikidata Q58593286 BHL page 61899832 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ Dugdale, J. S. (10 November 1971). "Entomology of the Aucklands and other islands south of New Zealand: Lepidoptera, excluding non-crambine Pyralidae". Pacific Insects Monographs. 27: 164. ISSN 0078-7515. Wikidata Q64006453.
- ↑ Dugdale , J. S. (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. 14. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: 127. doi:10.7931/j2/fnz.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
- 1 2 "Pyrgotis chrysomela". iNaturalist. 24 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- ↑ Hoare, Robert (2023). "Pyrgotis chrysomela". iNaturalist. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Pyrgotis chrysomela (Meyrick, 1914)". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. 2011. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
- ↑ Sweney, W. J. (1980), Insects of Mount Cook National Park, Research@Lincoln, p. 315, hdl:10182/4038, Wikidata Q112072993