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Compsistis bifaciella

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Species of moth endemic to New Zealand

Compsistis bifaciella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Lecithoceridae
Genus: Compsistis
Species: C. bifaciella
Binomial name
Compsistis bifaciella
(Walker, 1864)
Synonyms
  • Gelechia bifaciella Walker, 1864

Compsistis bifaciella is a moth of the family Lecithoceridae. It was first described by Francis Walker in 1864. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the North Island. C. bifaciella inhabit native forest. Larvae feed on leaf litter, live in a silk gallery either on the ground or in tree ferns.They pupate in a leaf litter coated, dome shaped, cocoon normally resting on a dead leaf. Adults are day flying and can be difficult to observe when on the wing. They are on the wing from October to February and are known to be active on sunny days. Adults have been observed swarming amongst Brachyglottis repanda during November and December, and bask on that plant's leaves in bright sunshine. This moth has been collected via sweeping of vegetation, blacklight and malaise traps.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Francis Walker in 1864 using specimens collected in Auckland by Daniel Bolton and originally named Gelechia bifaciella. Edward Meyrick, in 1888, placed this species in the genus Compsistis. George Hudson discussed and illustrated C. bifaciella in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand and discussed it again in his 1939 Supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1996 John S. Dugdale placed this species in the family Lecithoceridae. In 2005 Robert Hoare accepted this placement. The female lectotype is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

Description

Illustration by Hudson.

Dugdale described the larva of this species as follows:

Body with bands of short, stiff setulae on broad sclerites (pinacula) only ; thoracic SV setal group (above foreleg base) with 6—10 short setulae arranged horizontally; head capsule ventrally with menrum simple (no concave sclerite, no paired dark slits); body length 10 mm

Hudson described the adult moth as follows:

The expansion of the wings is about seven-sixteenths of an inch. The fore-wings are rather elongate, oblong, with the tornus considerably rounded; shining coppery-brown thinly sprinkled with black scales; there is a small silvery patch near the base, a broad oblique band on the costa at about 1⁄3 reaching half across the wing; an irregular patch near the middle and a curved sub-terminal band, broadest near the middle; all these silvery-white markings gleam with iridescent purple; the cilia near the apex are shining white tipped with black. The hind-wings are grey with coppery-brown reflections. The legs are black banded with shining white and the antennae have a broad white band immediately before the apex.

Hudson described the adult moths as jewel like.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand and found throughout the North Island.

Habitat and hosts

This species inhabits native forest. They are also known to inhabit stands of Kunzea ericoides. Larvae feed on leaf litter, living in a silk gallery either on the ground or in tree ferns. They pupate in a leaf litter coated dome shaped cocoon normally resting on a dead leaf.

Behaviour

Brachyglottis repanda.

The adults of this species are on the wing from October to January, though occasionally they have also been recorded in February. It is a day flying moth and is difficult to observe when on the wing. Adults tend be active on sunny days and but can be observed when settled on leaves. Adults are known to swarm amongst Brachyglottis repanda during November and December, and bask on leaves in the sunshine. At rest adults have their fore portions slightly raised. The moth stands on all three pairs of legs which are placed backwards; the wings are slightly wrapped around the body, their posterior extremity touching the ground. The antennae are placed backwards, considerably divergent, usually not touching wings.

This species has been collected via sweeping of vegetation and malaise traps. Adult moths are also attracted to blacklight traps.

References

  1. ^ "Compsistis bifaciella (Walker, 1864)". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  2. ^ 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: 91. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
  3. ^ Robert Hoare (24 December 2005). "Hierodoris (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae), and overview of Oecophoridae" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 54. Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research: 11. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.54. ISSN 0111-5383. OCLC 946510444. Wikidata Q44994400. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2021.
  4. Francis Walker (1864), List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum, Part XXIX. - Tineites, London, pp. 657–658, Wikidata Q110191308{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Edward Meyrick (1888). "Descriptions on New Zealand Tineina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 20: 90. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q114396003.
  6. ^ Hudson, G. V. (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 15, 273, LCCN 88133764, OCLC 25449322, Wikidata Q58593286 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ^ George Vernon Hudson (1939), A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 446, OCLC 9742724, Wikidata Q109420935 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  8. ^ J. S. Dugdale (June 1996). "Natural history and identification of litter‐feeding Lepidoptera larvae (Insecta) in beech forests, Orongorongo Valley, New Zealand, with especial reference to the diet of mice(Mus musculus)". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 26 (2): 251–274. doi:10.1080/03014223.1996.9517513. ISSN 0303-6758. Wikidata Q56091899.
  9. ^ Robert Hoare (2014). A Photographic Guide to Moths & Butterflies of New Zealand. Illustrator: Olivier Jean-Philippe Ball. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-86966-399-5. Wikidata Q59396160.
  10. John Stewart Dugdale; John Hutcheson (August 1997). "Invertebrate values of kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) stands, Gisborne Region". Science for Conservation. 55. Department of Conservation: 26. ISSN 1173-2946. Wikidata Q110426224.
  11. Watts, C. (February 2018). Ecology supplementary report – Terrestrial Invertebrates (PDF) (Report). NZ Transport Agency. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  12. T. H. Davies (January 1973). "LIST OF LEPIDOPTERA COLLECTED IN AREAS SURROUNDING HASTINGS AND NAPIER" (PDF). New Zealand Entomologist. 5 (2): 206. doi:10.1080/00779962.1973.9723002. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q54755566. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 February 2013.
Taxon identifiers
Compsistis bifaciella
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