Pyrausta comastis explained

Pyrausta comastis is a moth in the family Crambidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It has been classified as "nationally vulnerable" by the Department of Conservation.

Taxonomy

It was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1884 and given the name Proteroeca comastis.[1] In 1892 William Warren also described the same species but thinking it new gave it the name Ennychia intrudens.[2] This name was subsequently synonymised by Michael Shaffer.[3] George Vernon Hudson also gave a description and illustration of the species under the name Proteroeca comastis in 1928.[4] In 1988 John S. Dugdale listed the species under the genus Loxostege. However the correct binomial nomenclature for this species is Pyrausta comastis.

Description

This species was described by Meyrick as follows:

Distribution

P. comastis is endemic to New Zealand.[5] It can be found in the South Island. Meyrick stated that the species could be found at Castle Hill and Christchurch. Hudson added to the locality list and included Lake Rotoiti, Wedderburn and New River, near Invercargill. Philpott collected the species at Red Lake in the Mount Cook district.[6] It has also been collected in the Dansey ecological district in Otago. It is present at higher elevations.[7]

Life cycle and behaviour

This species life history is unknown. Adults have been recorded on wing in December[8] and in January.[9]

Habitat

This species has been collected in dry grassy areas and damp open habitats.

Conservation status

This moth is classified under the New Zealand Threat Classification system as being "nationally vulnerable".[10]

Notes and References

  1. Meyrick. E.. 1884 . On the classification of the Australian Pyralidina . Transactions of the Royal Entomological Society of London . 32. 3. 277–350. 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1884.tb01610.x. 1365-2311. Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  2. Warren. William . Descriptions of new genera and species of Pyralidae contained in the British-Museum collection. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 1892. ser.6:v.9=no.49-54. 50 . 172–179. 10.1080/00222939208677297. 6 May 2018 . 0374-5481.
  3. Dugdale. J. S.. Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa. Fauna of New Zealand. 1988. 14. 153. 6 May 2018. 22 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190722101744/https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/26324/FNZ14Dugdale1988.pdf. dead.
  4. Book: Hudson, G. V.. The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. Ferguson & Osborn Ltd.. 1928. Wellington. 182. George Hudson (entomologist).
  5. Web site: Pyrausta comastis Meyrick, 1884. www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. 23 January 2018.
  6. Philpott. Alfred. 1930. Lepidoptera of Mount Cook District, with description of new species.. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 61. 419–440.
  7. Web site: Introduction to Pyraloidea families and subfamilies of New Zealand. Hoare. R.J.B.. www.landcareresearch.co.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. en. 23 January 2018.
  8. Book: Patrick. B.H.. Insects of the Dansey ecological district. 1991. Department of Conservation, New Zealand. Wellington, N.Z.. 0-478-01285-3. 23 January 2018.
  9. Meyrick. Edward. On the classification of the Australian Pyralidina. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London. 1885. 33. 4. 421–456. 10.1111/j.1365-2311.1885.tb00895.x. 6 May 2018. en.
  10. Book: Conservation status of New Zealand butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), 2015. Hoare. R.J.B.. Dugdale. J.S.. Edwards. E.D.. Gibbs. G.W.. Patrick. B.H.. Hitchmough. R.A.. Rolfe. J.R.. New Zealand Department of Conservation. 2017. 9781988514383. Wellington, New Zealand. 7.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pyrausta comastis".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.