Xanthorhoe orophyla

Xanthorhoe orophyla is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.

Xanthorhoe orophyla
Female
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Geometridae
Genus:
Xanthorhoe
Species:
X. orophyla
Binomial name
Xanthorhoe orophyla
(Meyrick, 1883)[1]
Synonyms
  • Epyaxa orophyla Meyrick, 1883

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1883 under the name Epyaxa orophyla.[2] Meyrick gave a more detailed description of the species in 1884.[3]

Description

In 1898 George Hudson described the species as follows:

The expansion of the wings of the male is ​1 1⁄4 inches, of the female ​1 3⁄8 inches. The fore-wings of the male are pale brownish-grey; there is an obscure bent blackish line near the base, a moderately broad central band bounded by two very distinct shaded blackish lines, the basal one of which is not curved; the termen is shaded with darker grey, and there is an oblique pale mark near the apex. The hind-wings are pale grey tinged with ochreous. The female is slightly darker than the male; and there are numerous wavy pale and dark grey lines filling up the entire wing on each side of the central band.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The species has been collected in Nelson, Canterbury, and Otago.[4] Adults are on the wing from December to February and prefer open areas in lowland to alpine habitat.[4][5] Larvae feed on herbs species.[5]

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References
  1. "Xanthorhoe orophyla (Meyrick, 1883)". New Zealand Organisms Register. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  2. Meyrick, Edward (1883). "Monograph of New Zealand Geometrina". New Zealand Journal of Science. 1: 526–531 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. Meyrick, Edward (1883). "A Monograph of the New Zealand Geometrina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 16: 49–113 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. Hudson, G. V. (1898). New Zealand moths and butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera). London: West, Newman & co. pp. 58–59. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.7912.
  5. Barratt, B. I. P.; Patrick, B. H. (1 January 1987). "Insects of snow tussock grassland on the East Otago Plateau" (PDF). New Zealand Entomologist. 10 (1): 69–98. doi:10.1080/00779962.1987.9722513. ISSN 0077-9962.


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