Austrocidaria venustatis

Austrocidaria venustatis is a species of moth of the family Geometridae.[3] It endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in Southland. Adults of this species are on the wing in December.

Austrocidaria venustatis
Male holotype
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Austrocidaria
Species:
A. venustatis
Binomial name
Austrocidaria venustatis
(Salmon, 1946)[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Hydriomena venustatis Salmon, 1946
  • Euphyia venustatis (Salmon, 1946)

Taxonomy

This species was first described by John Tenison Salmon in 1946 using a specimen collected at Lake Gunn in the Eglinton Valley in December, 1944.[4][5] Salmon originally named the species Hydriomena venustatis.[4] In 1950 George Hudson described and illustrated this species.[5] In 1988 John S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Austrocidaria.[2] The male holotype is held at Te Papa.[2][6]

Description

Hudson described this species as follows:

The expansion of the wings is about 1+1⁄8 inches (30 mm.). Face yellowish, palpi black. Top of head and thorax with heavy clothing of mixed black, ochreous-green, and red-brown scales. Antennae with strong, broad serrations from about 1⁄5 beyond base to tips. Forewings rather elongate, with apical region somewhat diluted; termen slightly bowed and deeply scalloped; dull green, with numerous very wavy, somewhat confused, black transverse lines; a subapical patch of orange-brick-red; faint, very suffused patches of same colour extending to middle of wing and below disc, a wavy, ochreous-green subterminal line, a rather broad, brighter green terminal band and a terminal series of black crescentic markings; cilia dull pinkish, with blackish subterminal band and faint, irregular bards of black on tips of scallops. Hindwings ochreous, darker towards termen; dorsum with prominent wavy blackish lines becoming obsolete towards disc; termen deeply scalloped, with a conspicuous marginal series of fine, crescentic, black marks; cilia ochreous, tinged with pink, especially towards dorsum; many blackish scales in cilia tending to form bars at apices of the scallops. Abdomen ochreous with back and segmental divisions marked in back; two conspicuous anal tufts.[5]

Hudson recognised that this species was visually similar to Austrocidaria similata but stated that it could be distinguished from that species based on its morphology.[5]

Distribution
Lake Gunn, type locality for A. venustatis.

A. venustatis is endemic to New Zealand.[1][7] It has been collected in Southland.[2]

Behaviour

Adults are on the wing in December.[2]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Austrocidaria venustatis.
  1. "Austrocidaria venustatis (Salmon, 1946)". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  2. John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. 14: 176. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
  3. Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia : chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 458. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC 973607714. OL 25288394M. Wikidata Q45922947.
  4. J. T. Salmon (1946). "New Lepidoptera from the Homer-Milford district". Dominion Museum Records in Entomology. 1: 1–11. ISSN 0110-9863. Wikidata Q106122198.
  5. George Vernon Hudson (1950), Fragments of New Zealand entomology. - a popular account of all New Zealand cicadas. The natural history of the New Zealand glow-worm. A second supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand and notes on many other native insects., Wellington, pp. 85–86, Wikidata Q107693053{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. "Hydriomena venustatis". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
  7. "Austrocidaria venustatis (Salmon, 1946) - Biota of NZ". biotanz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
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