''Izatha huttonii'' 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

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 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 ...

, where it is known from the

Wellington Wellington 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 third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

district of the North Island, 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 ...

. Although similar in appearance to related species ''I. huttonii'' can be distinguished as it has a distinctive M-shaped mark on its forewings. The larvae feed on the dead wood of makomako and karamu. Adult moths have been collected from October to March.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by

Arthur Gardiner Butler Arthur Gardiner Butler F.L.S., F.Z.S. (27 June 1844 – 28 May 1925) was an English entomologist, arachnologist and ornithologist. He worked at the British Museum on the taxonomy of birds, insects, and spiders. Biography Arthur Gardiner B ...

in 1879 using a female specimen obtained in

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

by Frederick Hutton and named ''Oecophora huttonii''. In 1888 ''I. huttonii'' was synonymised 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 ...

with ''

Izatha peroneanella ''Izatha peroneanella'', also known as the small lichen moth or the green lichen tuft, is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it is found throughout the North Island, other than the Aupouri Peninsula of Northla ...

''. However 2014 Robert J. B. Hoare removed ''I. huttonii'' from synonymy with ''I. peroneanella'' and reinstated it as a species. 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 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

Butler originally described the species as follows: ''I. huttonii'' has long been confused with ''I. peroneanella''. The differences between these species are variable and subtle. The most obvious visual distinguishing feature of ''I. huttonii'' is its forewing discal "M" mark. This mark is complete in ''I. huttonii'' where as with ''I. peroneanella'' it usually broken beyond the first stroke. In general, although both species are variable in colouration, ''I. huttonii'' tends to be a paler green and ''I. peroneanella'' is usually a brighter lime green. This species is polymorphic and comes in green and white shades. The green colouration can turn yellowish if the moth is wet. A description of larvae has yet to be positively associated with this species.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is found in the south of the North Island only around Wellington, is widespread in the South Island and is the only ''Izatha'' species found on Stewart Island. ''I. huttonii'' is more common in Wellington that the similar species ''I. peroneanella''.

Biology and behaviour

Adults are on wing from November to March though one specimen has been captured in October.

Habitat and host species

Larvae have been recorded feeding on dead branches of ''

Aristotelia serrata ''Aristotelia serrata'', commonly known as wineberry or in the Māori language makomako or just mako, is a small tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae, in the genus '' Aristotelia'', found in the North Island, South Island and Stewart Island of New ...

'' and has been reared from ''

Coprosma robusta ''Coprosma robusta'', commonly known as karamū, is a flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae that is endemic to New Zealand. It can survive in many climates, but is most commonly found in coastal areas, lowland forests, or shrublands. Karamū c ...

''.

References

External links

Type specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6101690 Oecophorinae Taxa named by Arthur Gardiner Butler Moths described in 1879 Endemic fauna of New Zealand Moths of New Zealand Endemic moths of New Zealand