Declana floccosa

Declana floccosa, the forest semilooper or manuka moth is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.[1] It was first described by Francis Walker in 1863 using specimens obtained from Colonel Bolton.[2]

Declana floccosa
Male specimen
Female specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Geometridae
Genus:
Declana
Species:
D. floccosa
Binomial name
Declana floccosa
Walker, 1858[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Declana scabra Walker, 1863
  • Declana nigrosparsa Butler, 1879
  • Declana callista Salmon, 1946

The wingspan of this species is 27–35 mm and is extremely variable in colour and patterning.[3][4][5]

The larvae feed on a wide range of native and exotic broad-leaved and coniferous shrubs and trees.[6] Exotic hosts include Pinus radiata and other Pinus species, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Larix and Eucalyptus.[3] Native hosts include Muehlenbeckia australis.[7]

Population decline and recovery

A longitudinal study from 1974 to 2016 indicated the population of this moth declined sharply in the study area in the mid-1980s but began to recover in the late 1990s.[5] It has been hypothesised that the arrival of Vespula vulgaris in New Zealand might be the cause of the population decline.[5] It was also hypothesised that the recovery in population may have been brought about as a result of the extended emergence period of this moth which gave those moths emerging later in the season the ability to avoid predation by wasps.[5]

References
  1. "Declana floccosa Walker, 1858". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  2. Walker, Francis (1858). "Noctuidae". List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. 15: 1521–1888 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. "Declana floccosa, forest semilooper". www.nzffa.org.nz. New Zealand Farm Forestry Association. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  4. Hudson, George Vernon (1888). "On the varieties of a common moth (Declana floccosa)". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 21: 190–193 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  5. John E. C. Flux; Meg M. Flux (3 July 2019). "Polymorph stability, and changed flight period, of Declana floccosa Walker, 1858 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in New Zealand, 1974–2016". New Zealand Entomologist. 42 (2): 100–109. doi:10.1080/00779962.2019.1676134. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q105348997.
  6. "PlantSynz - Invertebrate herbivore biodiversity assessment tool: Database". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  7. Patrick, Brian (18 May 2016). "Ecological importance of Muehlenbeckia australis/Pohuehue". www.openspace.org.nz. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
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