Glaucocharis elaina

Glaucocharis elaina
Female
Male
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Crambidae
Subfamily:	Crambinae
Tribe:	Diptychophorini
Genus:	Glaucocharis
Species:	G. elaina
Binomial name
Glaucocharis elaina (Meyrick, 1882)[1]
Synonyms[2]
Diptychophora elaina Meyrick, 1882 Pareromene elaina (Meyrick, 1882)

Glaucocharis elaina is a species of moth in the family Crambidae.[3] This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1882. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout the North and South Island with the exception of the extreme south of the South Island. The preferred habitat of this species is lowland native forest and as adults the species is attracted to broken ground including road or rail cuttings. Larvae feed on moss species including those in the genus Funaria. This species has two distinct broods during each year. Adults are on the wing from October to April, are nocturnal and are attracted to light.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1882 and named Diptychophora elaina.[4] Meyrick gave a fuller description of this species in 1883.[5] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under that name in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[6] In 1929 Alfred Philpott studied the male genitalia of this species.[7] In 1971 David Gaskin placed this species in the genus Pareromene.[8] In 1985 Gaskin again discussed this species and placed it in the genus Glaucocharis.[9] The male lectotype, collected at the Wellington Botanic Garden by Meyrick, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]

Description

G. elaina showing how well its colouration works as camouflage.

Live specimen.

Gaskin described the egg of this species as follows:

Flattened ovoid; no ribs; having a microscopic hexagonal pattern on shell; dimensions 0.32-0.34 X 0.19-0.20 mm.[8]

Gaskin described the larva of this species as follows:

The fully grown caterpillar is about three-quarters of an inch long and greyish in colour. It has an irregular reddish line down the back, and some black and whitish marks.[10]

Hudson described the adult of this species as follows:

The expansion of the wings is slightly over 1⁄2 inch. The fore-wings are pale grey slightly ochreous-tinged and finely speckled with blackish, especially near the base and termen, the space between the two transverse lines being usually paler; there is an elongate black spot slightly above the middle of the wing. The hind-wings are pale grey.[6]

Hudson states that the grey colouration of this moth is protective and helps camouflage it against lichen covered rocks or tree trunks.[6]

This species is very similar in appearance to Glaucocharis parorma and the two species have often been confused in collections.[8] However G. parorma has a series of black terminal dots on its forewing which G. elaina lacks and so the two species are able to be distinguished via that characteristic.[6][8]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand and other than in the extreme south of the South Island is found throughout the country.[1][6]

Habitat and hosts

The adults inhabit lowland native forest and can often be found near broken ground.[6] They have been seen in numbers at road or rail cuttings near native forest or bush.[10][6] The larvae of this species feed on mosses including species in the genus Funaria.[11][8]

Life cycle and behaviour

Both Hudson and Gaskin believed this species has two distinct broods.[6][10] The eggs are laid in patches in early to late summer on moss.[10] Gaskin hypothesised that this species spends the winter months as pupae.[10] The larvae create their pupa in a chamber amongst the moss the caterpillar feeds from.[10] The adults of G. elaina are on the wing from October until April, are nocturnal and are attracted to light.[6]

References

1. "NZOR Name Details - Glaucocharis elaina (Meyrick, 1882)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
2. Dugdale , J. S. (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. 14. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: 144. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
3. Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 457. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC 973607714. OL 25288394M. Wikidata Q45922947.
4. Edward Meyrick (June 1882). "Descriptions of New Zealand Micro-Lepidoptera (I.)". New Zealand Journal of Science. 1: 187. Wikidata Q115108516.
5. Edward Meyrick (May 1883). "Descriptions of New Zealand Microlepidoptera. I and II. Crambidae and Tortricina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 15: 17–18. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q111013914.
6. Hudson, G. V. (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 176, LCCN 88133764, OCLC 25449322, Wikidata Q58593286
7. Alfred Philpott (1929). "The male genitalia of the New Zealand Crambidae". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 60 (3): 491–514. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q124044081.
8. David Edward Gaskin (1971). "A revision of New Zealand Diptychophorini (Lepidoptera; Pyralidae; Crambinae)". New Zealand Journal of Science. 14: 773–776. ISSN 0028-8365. Wikidata Q110236267.
9. David E. Gaskin (20 December 1985). "Morphology and reclassification of the Australasian, Melanesian and Polynesian Glaucocharis Meyrick (Lepidoptera : Crambinae : Diptychophorini)". Australian Journal of Zoology. Supplementary Series. 33 (115): 1. doi:10.1071/AJZS115. ISSN 0310-9089. Wikidata Q54618937.
10. David Edward Gaskin (1966), The butterflies and common moths of New Zealand, p. 161, Wikidata Q115000559
11. "PlantSynz - Invertebrate herbivore biodiversity assessment tool: Database". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2018-07-09.