''Heloxycanus patricki'', also known as the sphagnum porina moth, is a species of

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 ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Hepialidae The Hepialidae are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths. Taxonomy and systematics The Hepialidae constitute by far the most diverse group of the infraorder Exop ...

, the ghost moths. It is the only member of the genus ''Heloxycanus''. This species 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 else ...

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 ...

. It has been classified as having the status of "At Risk, Declining" 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 ...

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1994 by John S. Dugdale using a specimen collected by Brian Patrick at Dansey Pass on 8 April 1979. The species is named for its discoverer. The

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

specimen for this species is held at the

New Zealand Arthropod Collection The New Zealand Arthropod Collection is a collection of terrestrial invertebrates held by Maanaki Whenua – Landcare Research in Auckland, New Zealand.http://biocol.org/institutional-collection/new-zealand-arthropod-collection It specialises i ...

Description

The wingspan of the female moth is 48–55mm while the male moth is between 40–45mm. There is a variation in colouration between the southern population in comparison to the northern and western populations. The southern population is more smokey brown in colour with a reduced forewing stripe and a shorter antenna segment at the apex. The other populations are a more yellowish-fawn colour with a distinctive white stripe on the forewings.

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. It can be found in the following regions: the Otago Lakes, Central Otago, Dunedin, Southland, Fiordland and Stewart Island.

Biology and behaviour

''H. patricki'' has a life cycle that runs in two year cycles with peak numbers of adults occurring in odd-numbered years. This species is semiaquatic. Larvae are believed to feed on moss

rhizoids Rhizoids are protuberances that extend from the lower epidermal cells of bryophytes and algae. They are similar in structure and function to the root hairs of vascular land plants. Similar structures are formed by some fungi. Rhizoids may be uni ...

. After the adult moths emerge their pupae cases can be found sticking up from the moss. ''H. patricki'' are a late autumn emerging moth. They generally begin to emerge in late March and are finished by mid-June although in Otago the emergence times are between mid-April and early June.

Habitat

This moth is found in coastal and alpine moss bogs, mires and blanket bogs, peatland, and in ''

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

'' bogs in the southern part of

Conservation status

This species has been classified as having the "At Risk, Declining" conservation status under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. This classification results from the species' limited ability to disperse, its restrictive distribution to the southern part of New Zealand, and habitat loss.

Gallery

File:Heloxycanus patricki 35233691.jpg

References

External links

* Sphagnum porina moth discussed on RNZ ''Critter of the Week''
21 September 2018Image of live moth
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q18521600, from2=Q5709951 Hepialidae Endangered biota of New Zealand Endemic moths of New Zealand Exoporia genera Moths of New Zealand Monotypic moth genera Taxa named by John Stewart Dugdale