''Asaphodes exoriens'' is a species of

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

in the family

Geometridae The geometer moths are moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyleti ...

. This species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and has been found in

Central Otago Central Otago is an area located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River ...

. This is an alpine species and frequents open grassy habitat. They can also be found in upland wetland habitat at altitudes between 800 and 1100 m. Adults are on the wing in March.

Taxonomy

This species was described by

Louis Beethoven Prout Louis Beethoven Prout (1864–1943) was an English entomologist and musicologist. Prout specialised in the insect order (biology), order of Lepidoptera, especially the Geometridae, or geometer moths, on which he was a foremost authority. He cont ...

in 1912 as ''Larentia exoriens'' using material collected by George Howes at Glenorchy in Otago in March. In 1917 Edward Meyrick placed this species in the genus ''Xanthorhoe''.

George Hudson George Hudson (probably 10 March 1800 – 14 December 1871) was an English railway financier and politician who, because he controlled a significant part of the Railway Mania, railway network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King"—a ...

discussed and illustrated this species under the name ''Xanthorhoe exoriens'' in his 1928 publication ''The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand''. In 1939

placed this species in the genus ''Larentia''. This placement was not accepted by New Zealand taxonomists. In 1971

John S. Dugdale John Stewart Dugdale (5 April 1934 – 4 September 2020) was a New Zealand entomologist known for his contributions to knowledge about New Zealand lepidoptera, as well as tachinid flies and cicadas The cicadas () are a superfamily, the ...

assigned this species to the genus ''Asaphodes''. In 1988 John S. Dugdale confirmed this placement. The male

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

specimen, collected at Glenorchy, is held at the

Natural History Museum, London The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum (Lo ...

Description

Hudson described the species as follows:

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. It has only been found in Central Otago.

Biology and life cycle

''A. exoriens'' is on the wing in March.

Habitat and host species

''A. exoriens'' is an alpine species that frequents open grassy habitat. The adult moths are found in upland wetland habitat at altitudes of between 800-1100m.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asaphodes exoriens Moths described in 1912 Moths of New Zealand Larentiinae Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Louis Beethoven Prout Endemic moths of New Zealand