Biology:Tingena ophiodryas

Short description: Species of moth, endemic to New Zealand

Tingena ophiodryas
Female holotype
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Oecophoridae
Genus:	Tingena
Species:	T. ophiodryas
Binomial name
Tingena ophiodryas (Meyrick, 1936)
Synonyms
Borkhausenia ophiodryas Meyrick, 1936

Tingena ophiodryas is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Canterbury.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1936 and named Borkhausenia ophiodryas using a specimen collected by S. Lindsay in the bush above Le Bon's Bay, on Banks Peninsula in February. In 1939 George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under the name B. ophiodryas. In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Tingena. The female holotype specimen, collected at Little River, Banks Peninsula, is held at the Canterbury Museum.

Description

Illustration of T. ophiodryas by George Hudson.

Meyrick described this species as follows:

♀. 17 mm. Head, thorax light ochreous-orange. Palpi whitishochreous. Forewings elongate, slightly dilated, costa gently arched, apex obtuse-pointed, termen rounded, oblique; golden-ochreous-orange; markings ochreous-brown; stigmata forming rounded spots, plical somewhat beyond first discal, a rather narrow sinuous streak proceeding from near base along fold between these and touching second discal beneath, thence directed to tornus, some scattered scales between this and narrow bent bar crossing wing near apex and continued along termen to tornus: cilia orange-yellow. Hindwings grey; cilia whitish-grey.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Canterbury.

Behaviour

The adults of this species are on the wing in February.

References

Wikidata ☰ Q13861765 entry