''Ichneutica agorastis'' is a

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

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family (biology), family of moths. Taxonomically, they are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly ...

. 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 ...

. This moth is similar in appearance to two other species in the genus but can be distinguished through the colour and size of its forewings. This species is found in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

and

Stewart Island Stewart Island (, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura, formerly New Leinster) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a la ...

in open habitats in the subalpine zone. However, in Southland ''I. agorastis'' can be found down to sea-level. Adult moths are on the wing between January and April. The life history and host species are unknown.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by

Edward Meyrick Edward Meyrick (25 November 1854 – 31 March 1938) was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern microlepidoptera systematics. Life and work Ed ...

in 1887 from specimens collected at Lake Guyon and

Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Ngāi Tahu, Kāi Tahu Māori language, Māori for "Long Harbour", which woul ...

and named ''Mamestra agorastis''. The male

lectotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes ...

specimen, collected by

Richard William Fereday Richard William Fereday ( 1820–30 August 1899) was a New Zealand lawyer, entomologist and artist. Early life He was born in Ettingshall, Staffordshire, England in 1820 to John Turton Fereday, an ironmaster and his wife, Ann Cecilia Heming ...

at Lake Guyon, 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 ...

. In 1988 John S. Dugdale, in his catalogue of New Zealand Lepidoptera, placed this species within the ''Graphania'' genus. In 2019 Robert Hoare undertook a major review of New Zealand Noctuidae species. During this review the genus ''Ichneutica'' was greatly expanded and ''Graphania Hampson, 1905'' was subsumed into that genus as a synonym. As a result of this review, this species is now known as ''Ichneutica agrorastis.''

Description

Meyrick described this species as follows: ''I. agorastis'' is very similar in appearance to ''I. hartii'' and has also been confused with '' I. alopa.'' ''I. agorastis'' can be distinguished from ''I. hartii'' as the former species normally has a larger wingspan. ''I. agorastis'' also has a more reddish tinge to their forewings in comparison to ''I. hartii'' whose forewings tend to have a purplish colouration. ''I. agorastis'' can be distinguished from ''I. alopa'' as the former has more distinctive and paler crosslines on its forewings. The wingspan of ''I. agorastis'' is between 32 and 39 mm.

Distribution

''Ichneutica agorastis'' is endemic to New Zealand. It can be found in the South Island and Stewart Island, however the presence of this species in the North Island has yet to be confirmed.

Habitat

This species can be found in subalpine zones in open habitats such as tussock grasslands but has been found as low as sea level in locations in Southland. Specimens have been collected in string mires.

Behaviour

Adults of this species are on the wing from January to April.

Life history and host species

The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae.

References

Hadeninae Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Moths described in 1921 Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Endemic moths of New Zealand {{Hadeninae-stub