''Antiscopa acompa'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of ...

in the family

Crambidae The Crambidae are the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies includ ...

. It was first described by

Edward Meyrick Edward Meyrick (25 November 1854, in Ramsbury – 31 March 1938, at Thornhanger, Marlborough) was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern m ...

in 1884. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

and is found both the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

and

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

Islands. The species inhabits native forest and adult moths are attracted to light.

Taxonomy

This species was first named ''Scoparia acompa'' by

in 1884. In 1885 Meyrick gave a detailed description of the species using specimens collected near

Lake Wakatipu Lake Wakatipu ( mi, Whakatipu Waimāori) is an inland lake ( finger lake) in the South Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of the Otago region, near its boundary with Southland. ''Lake Wakatipu'' comes from the original Māori ...

at 1,200 feet.

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 network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King"—a title conferr ...

discussed and illustrated this species under the name ''Scoparia acompa'' in his 1928 book ''The butterflies and moths of New Zealand''. In 1964 Eugene Munroe placed this species in the genus ''Antiscopa''. This placement was accepted by John S. Dugdale in 1988. The male

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

, collected at Lake Wakatipu, 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 ...

Description

In 1885 Meyrick gave a detailed description of the species as follows: Meyrick regarded this species as distinctive as a result of its forewing colouration and markings. However this species is very similar in appearance to ''

Antiscopa epicomia ''Antiscopa epicomia'' is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1884 from specimens obtained near Arthur's Pass and Dunedin. It is endemic to New Zealand. The wingspan is 18–19 mm. The forewings are pale l ...

'' but can be distinguished as ''A. acompa'' has a thicker antemedian forewing line.

Distribution

This species is

. It has been collected in both the North and South Islands.

Habitat

This species inhabits native forest.

Behaviour

Adults have been recorded on wing from October to February. Adults of this species are attracted to light.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13380535 Moths described in 1884 Scopariinae Endemic fauna of New Zealand Moths of New Zealand Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Endemic moths of New Zealand