Atomotricha sordida is a moth in the family Oecophoridae first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1877.[1] [2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the South Island in the Canterbury and Otago regions. The adult female of the species is brachypterous.
A. sordida was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1877 using specimens collected by Dr. Hector and J. D. Enys in either Dunedin, Christchurch or Castle Hill. Butler originally named the species Oecophora sordida. In 1884 Edward Meyrick placed this species in the genus Brachysara.[3] In 1914 Meyrick again reevaluated the placement of this species and placed it in the genus Atomotricha.[4] Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand.[5] The male holotype is held at the Natural History Museum, London.
Butler described this species as follows:
Meyrick described the species as follows:Hudson stated that this species is similar in appearance to A. oeconoma and that the female of A. sordida resembles the female of A. oeconoma. However the brachypterous forewings of A. sordida have a blackish longitudinal streak and the hind wings are rudimentary.
This species is endemic to New Zealand.[6] This species has been observed in the South Island, including in Castle Hill, Rakaia, Christchurch and Dunedin.