''Hydriomena iolanthe'' 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 ...

in the family

Geometridae The geometer moths are moths belonging to the family Geometridae of the insect order Lepidoptera, the moths and butterflies. Their scientific name derives from the Ancient Greek ''geo'' γεω (derivative form of or "the earth"), and ''metro ...

. It is indigenous to

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 ...

. This species is based on a single specimen that is now lost and has not been matched to any known species. As such it is classified as ''data deficient'' 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 by

George Hudson George Hudson (probably 10 March 1800 – 14 December 1871) was an English railway financier and politician who, because he controlled a significant part of the railway network in the 1840s, became known as "The Railway King"—a title conferr ...

in 1939 using a female specimen collected at Lake Harris by F. S. Oliver in January 1918. Due to the single specimen being damaged and lacking antennae, Hudson was uncertain of the generic position of the species. He therefore named the species ''Hydriomena'' (or ''Xanthorhoe) iolanthe''. The illustration is labelled ''Hydriomena? iolanthe''. The classification of New Zealand endemic moths within the genus ''Hydriomena'' is regarded as unsatisfactory and in need of revision. As such this species is currently also known as ''Hydriomena'' (

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) ''iolanthe''. This species may prove synonymous as the hototype specimen has been lost and it is possible it is a European species that was mislabelled. It was listed in the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity as nomen dubium.

Description

Hudson described the species as follows:

Distribution

This species is indigenous to New Zealand. This species is found on the Otago Lakes

Fiordland Fiordland is a geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the westernmost third of Southland. Most of Fiordland is dominated by the steep sides of the snow-capped Southern Alps, deep lake ...

border. It is only known from the type locality of Lake Harris on the

Routeburn Track The Routeburn Track is a world-renowned, 32 km tramping (hiking) track found in the South Island of New Zealand. The track can be done in either direction, starting on the Queenstown side of the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, a ...

Biology and behaviour

This species is on the wing in January.

Host species

It has been hypothesised that the host of the larvae of ''H. iolanthe'' is possibly a species of ''

Coprosma ''Coprosma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Islands. Description The name ''Copros ...

''. The reasoning behind this hypothesis is that the illustration of the species resembles an '' Austrocidaria'' and ''Coprosma'' plants are the host for species in that genus.

Conservation status

This species has been classified as having the ''data deficient'' conservation status under the New Zealand Threat Classification System. Hudson's description was based on a single specimen which is now lost. The illustration by Hudson has not been matched to any known endemic or adventive species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q54634132 Moths described in 1939 Moths of New Zealand Hydriomena Taxa named by George Hudson