Agrotis innominata
| Agrotis innominata | |
|---|---|
| |
| Female | |
| |
| Male | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Agrotis |
| Species: | A. innominata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Agrotis innominata Hudson, 1898
| |
Agrotis innominata is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is found in the coastal regions of New Zealand and is the only Agrotis species that is endemic to New Zealand.
Taxonomy
[edit]_Plate_5_Fig_39_Agrotis_innominata_(cropped).jpg)
A. innominata was first described by George Hudson in 1898 using two specimens collected in Wellington, one by J.H. Lewis and the other by W.R. Morris.[1] Hudson again described the species in his 1928 publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[2] According J. S. Dugdale the type specimen of this species cannot be found.[3]
Description
[edit]The caterpillar of the species is grey-brown in colour and grows to approximately 32mm in length.[4]
Hudson described the adult male of the species as follows:
The expansion of the wings is 1+3⁄8 inches. The fore-wings are pale pinkish-yellow ; there is a slender black longitudinal streak on the costa at the base, a broad black longitudinal streak at the base near the middle, and another a little beyond the base above the middle, containing the orbicular and reniform stigmata, these arc sharply outlined in pinkish-yellow ; there are several rather indistinct black streaks between the veins, and a series of terminal black dots ; the cilia are dull pinkish-yellow. The hind-wings are dull white ; there is a series of brownish terminal dots, and the veins are marked in brown; the cilia are shining white. The head and thorax are pinkish-brown; the latter has two transverse black lines near the head, and two longitudinal black streaks on each side. The abdomen is dull white tipped with pale brown.[1]
In the southern populations of this species the female is brachypterous.[4] The adult male moth has a wingspan that ranges 36–39 mm where as the female of the species has a wingspan that ranges from 28 to 31 mm.[4]
Distribution
[edit]This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been found in the coastal regions of that country.[4] It has been collected in its type locality of Wellington, as well as Whanganui and Dunedin.[2] It has also been collected in Auckland, Tauranga, Tolaga Bay, Napier, Taupō, Paiaka, Milford Sound, Westport, Haast, Kaitorete Spit, Portobello and in the Catlins.[4]
Habitat
[edit]
The preferred habitat of A. innominata is coastal sand dunes where the larvae of the species is able to feed on its host species and can pupate in the sand.[2][4]
Hosts
[edit]The larvae feed on Ammophila arenaria (also known as marram grass), Acaena novae-zelandiae and Calystegia soldanella.[5] Larvae also appeared to feed on Craspedia species at Kaitorete Spit.[4] The indigenous species Calystegia soldanella has been hypothesised as this species main original host.[4]
Behaviour
[edit]The larvae of the species burrow into the sand near their host plants.[4] They have been found from in depths of between 1– 5 cm.[4] It has been hypothesised that the larvae are nocturnal, coming out at night to feed on the stems and leaves of their hosts.[4] The emergence pattern of adult moths of this species is regarded as being unusual.[4] They begin to emerge in the late autumn and continue in small numbers throughout the winter months.[4] Their peak emergence is between August and December.[4] The adults of the species are therefore on the wing from May to December.[4]
Conservation
[edit]Although marram grass is now generally considered to be an invasive species in New Zealand it is now one of the main host plants of this endemic moth.[4] It has been suggested that prior to removal of this invasive grass a survey for the presence of A. innominata be conducted.[4] This regarded as especially important in more southerly coastal regions as the brachypterous nature of the females of this moth hinders the spread of populations.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b George Vernon Hudson (1898), New Zealand moths and butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera), Illustrator: George Hudson, London, p. 31, doi:10.5962/BHL.TITLE.7912, OCLC 980865393, Wikidata Q19073637
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c George Vernon Hudson (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 48, LCCN 88133764, OCLC 25449322, Wikidata Q58593286
- ^ John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. 14. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: 1–264. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r B. H. Patrick; K. J. Green (January 1991). "Notes On Agrotis innominata Hudson (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)". New Zealand Entomologist. 14 (1): 32–36. doi:10.1080/00779962.1991.9722610. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q105740814.
- ^ "Agrotis innominata Hudson, 1898 Herbivore Report". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
External links
[edit]