Aletia argentaria

Aletia argentaria is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in Southland.

Aletia argentaria
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Aletia
Species:	A. argentaria
Binomial name
Aletia argentaria Howes, 1945[1]

Taxonomy

The species was first described by George Howes in 1945 using a specimen collected by him at the Wilderness near Lake Te Anau.[2][3] The genus level classification of New Zealand endemic moths within the genus Aletia is regarded as unsatisfactory and is under revision.[4] It is likely that this species will be removed from the genus Aletia and be placed within one of the following genera: Physetica, Graphania, Tmetolophota or Ichneutica.[4] As such the species is currently also known as Aletia (s.l.) cuneata.[5] The holotype specimen is held at Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.[3]

Description

This species was described by Howes as follows:

Expanse, 37 mm. Head clothed with a mixture of grey and ochreous scales. Palpi not prominent and short tipped. Antennae grey-brown, with finely ciliated pectinations—pectinations twice the width of shaft. Thorax clothed with a mixture of dark grey and yellowish brown hairs. Abdomen ochreous, with well developed tufts at sides and posterior. Forewings, general colour, stone grey. Basal line dark grey, margined outwardly with light grey. First line very indistinct—hardly discernable. Second line dark, but thin and rather faint. Subterminal line projects outwards towards termen at just below apex and continues on down to dorsum with a series of very small outward indentations on the vein crossings. Subterminal area stone grey, with very small ochreous spots bordering the subterminal line between the veins. The rest of the wing surface is stone grey with a very dark grey suffused band running from costa between reniform and orbicular to dorsum. A similar darker band crosses the wing just before the subterminal line. Reniform, orbicular, and claviform are stone grey centred and outlined in dark grey. The reniform also has two small central patches of ochreous scales. Cilia grey, with a dark grey line at base. Veins are outlined by darker marks towards the termen and half-way between termen and reniform a series of light grey dots crosses the wing. Hind Wings pale ochreous, darker towards termen. Cilia ochreous, paler at tips. This species, while having a strong superficial resemblance to Aletia moderato, is readily distinguished by having moderately pectinated antennae.[2]

This species was regarded by George Hudson as being very similar to Aletia panda, differing only in having narrower forewings, more oblique termen and smaller orbicular stigma.[6]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[1][7] It inhabits Southland.[3] Hudson regarded this species as being "extremely obscure".[6]

References

1. "Aletia argentaria Howes, 1945". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
2. Howes, W. George (1945). "New Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 75: 65–67.
3. Dugdale, John S. (1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 14: 199. ISBN 0-477-02518-8.
4. Hoare, R.J.B.; Rhode, B.E.; Emmerson, A.W. (March 2012). "Larger moths of New Zealand: Image gallery and online guide". Landcare Research. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
5. "TNZOR Lepidoptera". Species-ID. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
6. Hudson, George Vernon (1950). Fragments of New Zealand entomology. Wellington: Ferguson & Osborn Ltd. p. 77.
7. Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity. Volume two. Kingdom animalia : chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. Christchurch, N.Z.: Canterbury University Press. p. 461. ISBN 9781877257933. OCLC 973607714.

External links

• Image of holotype specimen