Polychrosis meliscia

Polychrosis meliscia
Female holotype
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Tortricidae
Genus:	Polychrosis
Species:	P. meliscia
Binomial name
Polychrosis meliscia Meyrick, 1910[1]
Synonyms
Lobesia meliscia (Meyrick, 1910)

Polychrosis meliscia is a species of moth of the family Tortricidae.[2][1] It is found in New Zealand at the Kermadec Islands.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1910 using specimens collected on Raoul Island and named Polychrosis meliscia.[3][4] In 1972 J. S. Dugdale referred to this species as Lobesia meliscia.[5] But in 1988 Dugdale discussed this species under its original name Polychrosis meliscia.[2] This placement was confirmed in 2010 by Robert Hoare in the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity where the species was again discussed under the name Polychrosis meliscia.[6] The female holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

Description

Meyrick described this species as follows:

♀. 18mm. Head, palpi, and thorax whitish-ochreous, second joint of palpi finely sprinkled with dark fuscous towards middle. Forewings elongate, posteriorly dilated, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen gently rounded, oblique; 2 from ¾ of cell; whitish-ochreous finely speckled with dark fuscous, and irregularly strewn with small ferruginous-ochreous strigulæ; markings faint, indefinite, formed by greater development of dark speckling and strigulation; a moderate basal patch, outer edge nearly straight, rather oblique; central fascia indicated by a broad costal blotch reaching half across wing and a patch before tornus; cilia whitish-ochreous, obscurely barred with ferruginous-ochreous. Hindwings grey-whitish, posteriorly faintly strigulated with grey; cilia whitish.[3]

Distribution

View from Raoul Island, the type locality of P. meliscia.

This species is found on the Kermadec Islands.[2]

References

1. "Polychrosis meliscia Meyrick, 1910". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
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: 236. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
3. Edward Meyrick (1910). "Lepidoptera from the Kermadec Islands". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 42: 72. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q111017804.
4. "Polychrosis meliscia Meyrick, 1910 (Species)". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
5. J. S. Dugdale (January 1973). "A NOTE ON KERMADEC ISLANDS LEPIDOPTERA". New Zealand Entomologist. 5 (2): 197–203. doi:10.1080/00779962.1973.9723001. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q105726814.
6. Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 464. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC 973607714. OL 25288394M. Wikidata Q45922947.