''Notoreas paradelpha'' is a species of moth in the family

Geometridae The geometer moths are 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, paraphyleti ...

. 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 ...

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1883 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 ...

using material collected by him on

Ben Lomond Ben Lomond (, ), , is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. Situated on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, it is the most southerly of the Munros. Ben Lomond lies within the Ben Lomond National Memorial Park and the Loch Lomond and The Trossach ...

near

Lake Wakatipu Lake Wakatipu () 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, New Zealand, Southland. ''Lake Wakatipu'' comes from the original Māori l ...

in December. He named the species ''Pasithea paradelpha''. In 1884 Meyrick went on to give a more detailed description of the species. In 1886 Meyrick renamed the genus to which he had previously assigned this species and placed it within the genus ''Notoreas''.

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

discussed and illustrated this species both in his 1898 book ''New Zealand Moths and Butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera)'' and in his 1928 book ''The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand''. The genus ''Notoreas'' was reviewed in 1986 by

R. C. Craw R. or r. may refer to: * ''Reign'', the period of time during which an Emperor, king, queen, etc., is ruler * '' Rex'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning King * ''Regina'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning Queen * or , abbreviate ...

and the placement of this species within it was confirmed. However species within the genus ''Notoreas'' are currently regarded as being in need of revision. 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 associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes ...

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

Meyrick described the species as follows:

Distribution

''N. paradelpha'' is endemic to New Zealand. Along with its type locality of Ben Lomond, ''N. paradelpha'' has also been found on Mount Arthur,

Arthur's Pass Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for explori ...

, the

Hunter Mountains The Hunter Mountains of Fiordland, New Zealand, were named by surveyor James McKerrow after the famous anatomist John Hunter (surgeon), John Hunter. The Hunter Mountain Range covers an area between The South Arm and Hope Arm of Lake Manapouri ...

and at Obelisk Station and the Dansey Ecological District 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 ...

Life cycle and behaviour

The female moth lays her eggs within the flower buds of their host plant. When the larvae emerge from their eggs, they eat into the leaves or buds of their host, hiding from predators. Once they are large enough, they emerge to feed from the fresh growth of the plant. ''N. paradelpha'' pupate in a loose cocoon on the ground under their host. ''N. paradelpha'' are day-flying moths. They are low but fast flyers and constantly vibrate their wings to enable them to take off rapidly. Adults are on the wing from November to February.

Habitat and host species

This moth species prefers to live in high alpine habitat and has been found amongst grass and in herbfields. The host plants for the larvae of ''N. paradelpha'' are the endemic species in the genera ''

Kelleria ''Kelleria'' is a genus of miniature shrubs in the family Thymelaeaceae, found in southeastern Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Borneo. The centre of species biodiversity is the Lammermoor Range in Central Otago, NZ. Species Species acce ...

'' and ''

Pimelea ''Pimelea'', commonly known as rice flowers, is a genus of plants belonging to the family Thymelaeaceae. There are about 150 species, including 110 in Australia and 36 in New Zealand. Description Plants in the genus ''Pimelea'' are her ...

'' including '' Pimelia oreophila''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13546866 Larentiinae Moths described in 1883 Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Endemic moths of New Zealand