''Alloecentrella magnicornis'' is a species of caddisfly belonging to the order Trichoptera. The species was first described by

Keith Arthur John Wise Keith Arthur John Wise (1 June 1926 – 31 March 2012), often referred to as K. A. J. Wise, was a New Zealand entomologist. Originally employed at the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (New Zealand), Department of Scientific and ...

in 1958, and is endemic to New Zealand.

Taxonomy

The holotype of the species was originally collected in the Waitākere Township area in 1934, and is housed in the Auckland War Memorial Museum. ''Alloecentrella magnicornis'' was not recognised as a distinct species until 1958. Wise created the genus '' Alloecentrella'' due to morphological differences found in ''Alloecentrella magnicornis'' not seen in other New Zealand caddisflies. The genus was monotypic until 2007. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that ''Alloecentrella magnicornis'' forms a clade with '' Pycnocentrella eurensis'', and is more distantly related to '' Pycnocentria'' species, '' Beraeoptera roria'', '' Confluens hamiltoni'', '' Pycnocentrodes aureolus'' and species of '' Olinga''.

Description

Wise's original text (the

type description A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

) reads as follows: The larvae of the species has a frontoclypeus with lateral margins.

Diet

''Alloecentrella magnicornis'' feeds on liverworts and

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

es.

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to New Zealand, known to occur on the

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-largest ...

. It is one of two ''Alloecentrella'' caddisflies known to occur on the North Island, alongside '' Alloecentrella incisus''. ''Alloecentrella magnicornis'' is often found in swift-flowing streams in the upper North Island, typically in forested areas where rock substrates allow liverworts and

es to grow. Adults and larvae of the species are known to be present from October to late February.

References

{{Authority control Animals described in 1958 Endemic insects of New Zealand Integripalpia Taxa named by Keith Arthur John Wise Trichoptera of New Zealand