''Heloxycanus patricki'', also known as the sphagnum porina moth, 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 ...

of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Hepialidae The Hepialidae are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths. Taxonomy and systematics The Hepialidae constitute by far the most diverse group of the infraorder Exop ...

, the ghost moths. It is the only member of the genus ''Heloxycanus''. 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 ...

. It has been classified as having the status of "At Risk, Declining" by the Department of Conservation.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1994 by John S. Dugdale using a specimen collected by Brian Patrick at Dansey Pass on 8 April 1979. The species is named for its discoverer. The

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 for this species is held at the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.

Description

The wingspan of the female moth is 48–55mm while the male moth is between 40–45mm. There is a variation in colouration between the southern population in comparison to the northern and western populations. The southern population is more smokey brown in colour with a reduced forewing stripe and a shorter antenna segment at the apex. The other populations are a more yellowish-fawn colour with a distinctive white stripe on the forewings.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. It can be found in the following regions: the Otago Lakes, Central Otago, Dunedin, Southland, Fiordland and Stewart Island.

Biology and behaviour

''H. patricki'' has a life cycle that runs in two year cycles with peak numbers of adults occurring in odd-numbered years. This species is semiaquatic. Larvae are believed to feed on moss

rhizoid Rhizoids are protuberances that extend from the lower epidermal cells of bryophytes and algae. They are similar in structure and function to the root hairs of vascular land plants. Similar structures are formed by some fungi. Rhizoids may be un ...

s. After the adult moths emerge their pupae cases can be found sticking up from the moss. ''H. patricki'' are a late autumn emerging moth. They generally begin to emerge in late March and are finished by mid-June although in Otago the emergence times are between mid-April and early June.

Habitat

This moth is found in coastal and alpine moss bogs, mires and blanket bogs, peatland, and in ''

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store water, since ...

'' bogs in the southern part of

Conservation status

This species has been classified as having the "At Risk, Declining" conservation status under the

New Zealand Threat Classification System The New Zealand Threat Classification System is used by the Department of Conservation to assess conservation priorities of species in New Zealand. The system was developed because the IUCN Red List, a similar conservation status system, had s ...

. This classification results from the species' limited ability to disperse, its restrictive distribution to the southern part of New Zealand, and habitat loss.

References

External links

* Sphagnum porina moth discussed on RNZ ''Critter of the Week''
21 September 2018
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q18521600, from2=Q5709951 Hepialidae Endangered biota of New Zealand Endemic moths of New Zealand Exoporia genera Moths of New Zealand Monotypic moth genera Taxa named by John Stewart Dugdale