Biology:Asaphodes philpotti

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Short description: Species of moth

Asaphodes philpotti
Asaphodes philpotti female.jpg
Female
Asaphodes philpotti male.jpg
Male
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Asaphodes
Species:
A. philpotti
Binomial name
Asaphodes philpotti
(Prout, 1927)[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Xanthorhoe philpotti Prout, 1927
  • (Prout, 1927) Larentia philpotti

Asaphodes philpotti is a moth in the family Geometridae.[2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been found in the South Island as well as one observation in Wainuiomata in the North Island. This species inhabits native forest and larvae are hosted by species in the genera Hydrocotyle and Cardamine.

Taxonomy

BOLD AEE2265 cf. Asaphodes philpotti

This species was first described by Louis Beethoven Prout in 1927 and named Xanthorhoe philpotti.[3] Prout named this species in honour of Alfred Philpott, the entomologist who recognised that two separate species were mixed as Xanthorhoe beata.[3] In 1939 Prout placed this species in the genus Larentia.[4] This placement was not accepted by New Zealand taxonomists.[5] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Asaphodes.[2] The male lectotype, collected at Lake Wakatipu, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]

Description

Male A. philpotti illustrated by George Hudson under the name A. beata.

Prout stated that one of the distinguishing features between A. beata and A. philpotti is the black discal spot on the forewings of A. beata which is absent or very faintly present on the forewings of A. philpotti.[3]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[1] This species has been collected at the type locality of Lake Wakatipu as well as in Dunedin, Wairaurahiri River in Southland, and Wainuiomata.[6][7][8] It has also been observed on the West Coast as well as in Takaka.[9] The range of this species has undergone contraction and it is now regarded as locally extinct in Invercargill.[10]

Habitat

The preferred habitat of this species is native forest.[10]

Hosts

Larvae from this species have been reared on, and have also been observed feeding on, species in the genera Hydrocotyle and Cardamine.[11]

References

Wikidata ☰ Q41805750 entry