Eudonia sabulosella

Eudonia sabulosella is a species of moth in the family Crambidae. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is regarded as being common. The larvae of this species are known to damage pasture in New Zealand.

Eudonia sabulosella
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Crambidae
Genus:
Eudonia
Species:
E. sabulosella
Binomial name
Eudonia sabulosella
(Walker, 1863)[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Crambus sabulosellus Walker, 1863
  • Crambus sabulosella (Walker, 1863)
  • Scoparia sabulosella (Walker, 1863)
  • Witlesia sabulosella (Walker, 1863)

Taxonomy

This species was originally described by Francis Walker in 1863 using a female specimen collected by Dr. A. Sinclair in Auckland and named Crambus sabulosellus.[2][3] In 1884 Edward Meyrick discussed the species giving a more detailed description, placing it within the genus Scoparia and changed the ending of the species name from the masculine -us to the feminine -a.[4] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 publication The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand also under the name Scoparia sabulosella.[5] In 1988 John S. Dugdale placed the species in the genus Eudonia.[2]

Description

Walker described the species as follows:

Female. Cinereous fawn-colour. Labial palpi a little longer than the breadth of the head. Abdomen extending a little beyond the hind wings. Fore wings narrow ; discal point and marginal points black ; exterior border almost straight, slightly oblique. Hind wings pale cinereous. Length of the body ​4 1⁄2 lines; of the wings 10 lines.[3]

This species is variable with some specimens being much darker than others. However, despite this E. sabulosella can be distinguished from similar species as it always has a pale ochreous ground colour to the forewings along with two distinct blackish dots.[5]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[1][6] It is generally distributed throughout New Zealand and can also be found on the Chatham Islands, Stewart Island as well as in the Auckland Islands.[5]

Food resources

Caterpillar hosts

The larvae of this species feed on lichens, bryophytes and grasses.[7]

Adult diet

The adult moths have been recorded as visiting and likely feeding from the flowers of Corokia cotoneaster, Dracophyllum acerosum, Helichrysum intermedium, Lobelia angulata, Olearia virgata, Pimelea sericeovillosa.[7][8]

Adult pollination

The adult moths pollinate Olearia virgata.[9]

Occurrence

Adults of E. sabulosella are normally present during December and January.[4]

Human interactions

This species is regarded as being an economically damaging pest.[10] The larvae of E. sabulosella can cause considerable damage to pasture.[11]

References
  1. "NZOR Name Details - Eudonia sabulosella (Walker, 1863)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  2. Dugdale, J. S. (1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 14: 158. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  3. Walker, Francis (1863). "XXVII Crambites and Tortricites". List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. 27: 1–286 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. Meyrick, Edward (May 1885). "Descriptions of New Zealand Micro-Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 17: 68–120 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  5. Hudson, G. V. (1928). The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. Wellington: Ferguson & Osborn Ltd. p. 198. OCLC 25449322.
  6. 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. 458. ISBN 9781877257933. OCLC 973607714.
  7. "Eudonia sabulosella (Walker, 1863) - Invertebrate herbivore report". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  8. Primack, Richard B. (1983-07-01). "Insect pollination in the New Zealand mountain flora". New Zealand Journal of Botany. 21 (3): 317–333. doi:10.1080/0028825X.1983.10428561.
  9. "Eudonia sabulosella (Walker 1863)". EOL.org. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  10. "AgPest » Sod webworm". Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  11. Cowley, J. M. (October 1987). "Oviposition site selection and effect of meteorological conditions on flight of Eudonia sabulosella (Lepidoptera: Scopariinae) with implications for pasture damage". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 14 (4): 527–533. doi:10.1080/03014223.1987.10423025. ISSN 0301-4223.
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