''Asaphodes stinaria'' is a

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

in the family Geometridae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

and has previously been observed in both the North and South Islands. The range of this species has contracted and it has recently only been located in Westland, Otago and Southland. This species inhabits wetlands, tussock country, and in grassy openings in native forest. The larval host species has been hypothesised as being 'hairy' ''

Ranunculus ''Ranunculus'' is a large genus of about almost 1700 to more than 1800 species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. Members of the genus are known as buttercups, spearworts and water crowfoots. The genus is distributed in Europe ...

'' species however as at 2000 this hasn't been confirmed. It is classified as Nationally Vulnerable by the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

. There has been considerable reductions of the range of this species with it possibly becoming extinct in eastern parts of New Zealand.

Taxonomy

''A. stinaria'' was first described by Achille Guenée in 1868 from a specimen collected in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

Richard William Fereday Richard William Fereday (c.1820–30 August 1899) was a New Zealand lawyer, entomologist and artist. He was born in Ettingshall, Staffordshire, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders wit ...

. Guenée named the species ''Camptogramma stinaria''. In 1898

George Vernon Hudson George Vernon Hudson FRSNZ (20 April 1867 – 5 April 1946) was a British-born New Zealand entomologist credited with proposing the modern daylight saving time. He was awarded the Hector Memorial Medal in 1923. Biography Born in London, Brit ...

subsequently placed this species within the genus ''Xanthorhoe''. In 1971 John S. Dugdale assigned ''Xanthorhoe stinaria'' to the genus ''Asaphodes''. He confirmed this placement in 1988. The male holotype 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 an ...

Description

Guenée described the species as follows:

Distribution

''A. stinaria'' is endemic to New Zealand. This species has historically occurred in the following areas but has not been located there recently: Taupo, Hawkes Bay, North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury, Dunedin and Fiordland. Areas where it has been located recently include Westland, Central Otago, Otago Lakes and Southland.

Ecology and habitat

Adults of the species emerge during the months of November until March with December being the most common month in which the adult moth has been collected. ''A. stinaria'' has been found in wetlands, tussock country, open non-forest habitat as well as grassy openings in forested habitat.

Host plants

Fereday is recorded to have stated that this species frequented '' Carex subdola''. It is currently thought that ''A. stinaria'' is associated with a 'hairy' ''

'' species. However at present the name of the specific host species is unconfirmed.

Conservation status

This species has considerably reduced its range in recent times. It is regarded as possibly becoming extinct in the eastern parts of New Zealand. The moth has therefore been classified under the

New Zealand Threat Classification system The New Zealand Threat Classification System is used by the Department of Conservation to assess conservation priorities of species in New Zealand. The system was developed because the IUCN Red List, a similar conservation status system, had some ...

as being Nationally Vulnerable. It has been suggested that the decline of this moth is as a result of

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and the overgrazing of its possible host plant.

References

{{Authority control Moths described in 1868 Moths of New Zealand Larentiinae Endemic fauna of New Zealand Endangered biota of New Zealand Taxa named by Achille Guenée Endemic moths of New Zealand