Notoreas mechanitis

Notoreas mechanitis is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.

Notoreas mechanitis
Female
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Geometridae
Genus:	Notoreas
Species:	N. mechanitis
Binomial name
Notoreas mechanitis (Meyrick, 1883)[1]
Synonyms[1]
Pasithea mechanitis Meyrick, 1883

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1883 by Edward Meyrick using material collected by him at Arthur's Pass and Mount Hutt and named Pasithea mechanitis.[2][1] In 1884 Meyrick went on to give a more detailed description of the species.[3][4] In 1886 Meyrick renamed the genus to which he had previously assigned this species and placed it within the genus Notoreas.[5]

George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species both in his 1898 book New Zealand Moths and Butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera) and in his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand.[6][7] The genus Notoreas was reviewed in 1986 by R. C. Craw and the placement of this species within it was confirmed.[8] However species within the genus Notoreas are currently regarded as being in need of revision.[9] The lectotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[4]

Description

Meyrick described the species as follows:

Male, female. — 19-23 mm. Forewings moderate, hind margin rounded; dark fuscous, densely irrorated and median band almost wholly suffused with yellow; a nearly straight yellow or whitish line towards base, anteriorly strongly blackish-margined; an irregularly curved white line at ​¹⁄₃, posteriorly strongly blackish-margined; a small blackish discal dot; an irregularly angulated slender dark fuscous median line, beyond which is another almost confluent with next line; a white line beyond middle, anteriorly strongly blackish-margined, strongly angulated in middle, subdentate beneath; a slender very sharply dentate irregular yellow subterminal line; cilia with basal half dark grey, apical half wholly white. Hindwings dark fuscous, base irrorated with yellow; an irregular obscure yellow fascia before middle; a white sinuate median line, sometimes yellow above; subterminal line and cilia as in forewings. Constant, except that the white markings tend to be suffused with yellow.[3]

Distribution

N. mechanitis is endemic to New Zealand.[1][10] Along with its type locality of Arthur's Pass, N. mechanitis has been found at Mount Arthur, Mount Hutt, Ben Lomond, the Hunter Mountains, at Shotover Saddle and Mount Eostre in Otago.[3][7][11]

Life cycle and behaviour

The female moth lays her eggs within the flower buds of their host plant.[12] When the larvae emerge from their eggs, they eat into the leaves or buds of their host, hiding from predators.[12] Once they are large enough, they emerge to feed from the fresh growth of the plant.[12] N. mechanitis pupate in a loose cocoon on the ground under their host.[12] N. mechanitis are day-flying moths.[12] They are low but fast flyers and constantly vibrate their wings to enable them to take off rapidly.[12] Adults are on the wing between January and March.[3]

Habitat and host species

This moth species prefers to live in grassy high alpine habitat.[3][11] The host plants for the larvae of N. mechanitis are endemic species within the genus Kelleria and include Kelleria dieffenbachii.[12][13]

References

1. "Notoreas mechanitis (Meyrick, 1883)". www.nzor.org.nz. Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
2. Meyrick, E. (1883). "Descriptions of New Zealand Microlepidoptera". New Zealand Journal of Science. 1: 526–531 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
3. Meyrick, E. (May 1884). "A Monograph of the New Zealand Geometrina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 16: 49–113 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
4. Dugdale, John S. (23 September 1988). Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 14. pp. 1–264. ISBN 978-0-477-02518-8 – via Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research.
5. Meyrick, E. (1886). "Notes on Nomenclature of New Zealand". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 18: 184 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
6. Hudson, G. V. (1898). New Zealand Moths and Butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera). London: West, Newman & co. p. 72. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.32466. OCLC 727236768. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
7. Hudson, G. V. (1928). The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. Wellington: Ferguson & Osborn Ltd. p. 124. OCLC 25449322.
8. Craw, R.C. (5 January 2012). "Review of the genus Notoreas (sensu auctorum) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae)". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 13 (1): 131–140. doi:10.1080/03014223.1986.10422654.
9. Hoare, R. J. B.; Rhode, B.E.; Emmerson, A.W. (2011). "Larger moths of New Zealand: Image gallery and online guide". Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
10. 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. 460. ISBN 9781877257933. OCLC 973607714.
11. Mt Aspiring Station Conservation Resources Report Part 1 (Report). Department of Conservation. November 2005. pp. 1–62. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
12. Patrick, Brian (Autumn 2015). "Discovering New Zealand's gorgeous moths" (PDF). Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. New Zealand: Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand Trust. p. 13. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
13. "Invertebrate herbivore biodiversity assessment - Notoreas mechanitis (Meyrick, 1883)". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research. Retrieved 12 December 2018.