Austramathes fortis
| Austramathes fortis | |
|---|---|
| |
| Female | |
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| Male | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Austramathes |
| Species: | A. fortis
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| Binomial name | |
| Austramathes fortis | |
| Synonyms | |
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Austramathes fortis is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae.[1][2] It was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1880 from a specimen collected in Marlborough.[3] It is endemic to New Zealand.
Description
The wingspan of the male A. fortis is 29 – 37 mm where as the wingspan of the female is 29 – 41 mm.[1] George Hudson described the species as follows:
The expansion of the wings is a little over 1 in. The fore wings are dull brownish-ochreous finely speckled with black; there is a conspicuous hook-shaped black mark close to the base, a sharp black mark on the costa at about 1/4, a clouded wavy line near the middle of the wing, darker on the costa, a sharp black mark on the costa just beyond this, followed by a wavy band of dark brownish-black, very much broader on the costa than on the dorsum, and bordered with a pale wavy line towards the termen. The hind wings are dark brownish- black. The cilia of the fore wings are brownish-ochreous, of the hind wings dark - grey. The head and thorax are brownish-ochreous, and the abdomen grey. There are two conspicuous black marks on the anterior portion of the thorax.[4]
Distribution
A. fortis is found in both the North and the South Islands but has yet to be recorded at Stewart Island.[1] Adults can be found on the wing during the months of July to March.[1]
Host species
The larvae of this moth has been shown to feed on several Melicytus species including M. crassifolius, M. alpinus, M. macrophyllus and M. novae-zelandiae.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Hoare, R.J.B. (2017). "Noctuinae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) part 1: Austramathes, Cosmodes, Proteuxoa, Physetica" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 73: 1–130. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.73 – via Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd.
- ^ "Austramathes fortis (Butler, 1880)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ Butler, A. G. (1880). "On a collection of Lepidoptera Heterocera from Marlborough Province, New Zealand". Cistula Entomologica. 2: 1880 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
- ^ Hudson, G. V. (1903). "On some New Species of Macro-lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 35. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
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