Biology:Orthoclydon praefectata
| Orthoclydon praefectata | |
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| Species: | O. praefectata
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| Binomial name | |
| Orthoclydon praefectata (Walker, 1861)[1]
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Orthoclydon praefectata, the flax looper moth or flax window maker, is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.
Description
The wing span of this species is 38–45 mm. The male moth is a pale brown and the female a glossy white.[2]
Taxonomy
O. praefectata was first described by Francis Walker under the name Acidalia praefectata.[3][4] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in 1898 under the name Xanthorhoe praefectata.[5]
Distribution and habitat
This moth is endemic to and is widely distributed throughout New Zealand.[6][2]
The habitat/food plant for this moth is the New Zealand native flax Phormium tenax.[2]
Life cycle
Eggs
Eggs are straw coloured and are laid on the underside of the flax leaf.[2]
Larva
The caterpillar is a brown/green colour . It has three dark red lines on its back and a yellow line on each flank. When fully grown it is approximately 2.5 cm long.[2]
Adult
Adult moths are seen in all the summer months.[2]
See also
- Butterflies of New Zealand
References
- ↑ "Orthoclydon praefectata (Walker, 1861)". Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. http://www.nzor.org.nz/names/6e60c9f7-8981-4325-b5f2-849e274755c7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Gaskin, D E (1966). The Butterflies and Common Moths of New Zealand. Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs Limited. p. 133.
- ↑ Francis, Walker (1861) (in en). List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. 23. London: British Museum. pp. 781. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.58221. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39713695.
- ↑ Dugdale, J. S. (1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand 14: 185. https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/26324/FNZ14Dugdale1988.pdf. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ↑ Hudson, G. V (1898) (in en). New Zealand moths and butterflies. London: West, Newman & Co.. pp. 60–61. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.7912. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7643677. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ↑ , p. 460, Wikidata Q45922947
External links
- https://web.archive.org/web/20081018023812/http://ento.org.nz/nzentomologist/free_issues/Weta20_1_1997/Weta20%281%29_17_20.pdf
- http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/animals/bug-id/alphabetic-list-of-bugs/flax-looper-damage
Wikidata ☰ Q13549200 entry
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