Elachista plagiaula
| Elachista plagiaula | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Elachistidae |
| Genus: | Elachista |
| Species: | E. plagiaula
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| Binomial name | |
| Elachista plagiaula (Meyrick, 1938)
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Elachista plagiaula is a moth in the family Elachistidae.[2] It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1938. E. plagiaula is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the Mackenzie Basin in the South Island. The preferred habitat of this species is alpine snow-grass. Adults are on the wing in December and are active at dusk.
Taxonomy[edit]
This species was first described in 1938 and named Thectophila plagiaula using specimens collected at Freehold Range, Lake Ōhua by Stewart Lindsay in December.[3] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1939 book A supplement of the butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[4] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Elachista.[1] The male holotype specimen is held at the Canterbury Museum.[1]
Description[edit]
Meyrick described this species as follows:
♂. 12–15 mm. Head white, a grey median stripe. Palpi white. Thorax grey, a white stripe on each side of back. Forewings narrow-lanceolate; grey; costal area variably tinged or suffused white; a white subdorsal streak from base to tornus, leaving a narrow grey dorsal streak; cilia white, towards tornal area tinged grey. Hind-wings grey; cilia whitish-grey.[3]
Distribution[edit]
This species is endemic to New Zealand.[5][6]
Habitat and hosts[edit]
This species inhabits alpine snow-grass.[3]
Behaviour[edit]
Adults are on the wing in December. They have been collected at dusk.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c 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: 112. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
- ^ Lauri Kaila (11 July 2019). "An annotated catalogue of Elachistinae of the World (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Elachistidae)". Zootaxa. 4632 (1): 1–231. doi:10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4632.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. PMID 31712495. Wikidata Q86984314.
- ^ a b c d Edward Meyrick (1938). "New Species of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 67: 427–428. ISSN 1176-6166. Wikidata Q89182470.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ George Vernon Hudson (1939), A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 441, OCLC 9742724, Wikidata Q109420935 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "Elachista plagiaula (Meyrick, 1938)". biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
- ^ Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 458. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC 973607714. OL 25288394M. Wikidata Q45922947.
