Tingena tephrophanes

Tingena tephrophanes
Female holotype
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Oecophoridae
Genus: Tingena
Species:
T. tephrophanes
Binomial name
Tingena tephrophanes
(Meyrick, 1929)[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Borkhausenia tephrophanes Meyrick, 1929

Tingena tephrophanes is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae.[2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been found at Mount Arthur. Adults of this species are on the wing in January.

Taxonomy

This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1929 using specimens collected by George Hudson in January in Flora Creek at Mount Arthur and named Borkhausenia tephrophanes.[3] In 1939 George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under this same name.[4] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Tingena.[2] The female holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]

Description

Illustration of T. tephrophanes by George Hudson.

Meyrick first described this species as follows:

♀. 19 mm. Head, thorax grey. Palpi dark grey, slightly speckled white. Forewings rather elongate, costa gently arched, apex pointed, termen very obliquely rounded; glossy bluish-grey; extreme costal edge dark grey on basal ¼, then finely whitish to near apex; plical stigma rather elongate, blackish; a fine indistinct whitish inwards-oblique line from dorsum before tornus reaching half across wing, beyond this some obscure fuscous irroration crossing wing obliquely: cilia grey-whitish irrorated fuscous. Hindwings dark fuscous; cilia grey, darker within a faint slender whitish subbasal line.[3]

Similar in appearance to Tingena nycteris but can be distinguished as T. tephrophranes is a shiny leaden grey colour and has a tornal suffusion.[4]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been found at Mount Arthur.[1]

Behaviour

The adult of this species is on the wing in January.[3]

Habitat

This species inhabits subalpine native forests.[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tingena tephrophanes.
  1. ^ a b Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 462. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC 973607714. OL 25288394M. Wikidata Q45922947.
  2. ^ a b c d 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: 105. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
  3. ^ a b c Edward Meyrick (30 November 1929). "Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 60: 488. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q104179283.
  4. ^ a b c George Vernon Hudson (1939), A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 444, OCLC 9742724, Wikidata Q109420935