''Izatha apodoxa'' 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 ...

of the family

Oecophoridae Oecophoridae (concealer moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this. ...

. 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 ...

, where it is known from scattered localities in the southern

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

. This

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

is variable in appearance and comes in two forms, a grey form and a black and white form. In the grey form it is very similar in appearance to ''I. notodoxa'' and in the black and white form to ''I. katadiktya''. At present the

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. T ...

and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...

of this species is unknown.

Taxonomy

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 ...

first described this species in 1888 using specimens obtained by A. Purdie and

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 ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

. Meyrick named the species ''Semiocosma apodoxa''. George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under its current name of ''I. apodoxa'' in 1928. The

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 attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

specimen 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

Meyrick described the species as follows: The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan ...

is 20.5–26.5 mm for males and about 21 mm for females. ''I. apodoxa'' is very variable in its forewing pattern and also comes in two forms, a grey form and a black and white form. The grey form of ''I. apodoxa'' is indistinctly marked and similar in appearance to ''I. notodoxa''. These two species are not reliably distinguished on external characters but can be distinguished by the male

genital A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, ...

characters as well as by their geographical location. ''I. apodoxa'' is only found in the North Island and ''I. notodoxa'' in the South Island. The black and white form of ''I. apodoxa'' is similar in appearance to ''I. katadiktya''. The two species can be distinguished by examining the basal patch on the forewing. In well marked specimens of ''I. apodoxa'' the forewing has no pale inclusion below the fold but with ''I. katadiktya'' it almost always contains a white or pale grey patch.

Distribution

This species is

to New Zealand. It is restricted to the North Island and can be found south from

Taupō Taupō (), sometimes written Taupo, is a town on the north-eastern shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, in the central North Island. It is the largest urban area of the Taupō District, and the second-largest urban area in the Wai ...

in scattered locations. Other than the type locality of Wellington it has also been found

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dis ...

Hawkes Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...

, Rangitikei and

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

. Only the grey form of this species has been found in

and very few specimens have been collected outside of this locality. Specimens obtained in Taranaki and Rangitikei have been of the black and white form but examination of the genitalia has shown they are of the same species.

Biology and behaviour

The larvae and biology of this species is currently unknown. Adults of this species have been recorded in December and January. Hudson states that the species has been seen in November and adults could be found resting on fences in Wellington city.

Habitat and host species

It is likely that the larvae of this species either consumes decomposing plant matter, dead wood or alternatively

fungi A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...

lichens A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.

References

External links

Photograph of lectotype specimen
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6101621 Oecophorinae Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Moths described in 1888 Endemic moths of New Zealand