''Ichneutica micrastra'' 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 ...

of the family

Noctuidae The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. They are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along with the other f ...

. 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 ...

. This species has been found only in the North Island and has been collected in the Northland, Auckland, Whanganui and Wellington regions. The preferred habitat of this species is wetlands and heathlands including gum fields in Northland. Adults of this species are on the wing from October to December. The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae however it has been hypothesised that the likely larval host is a grass or grass like plant. This species is very similar in appearance to ''I. phaula'' and ''I. sapiens'' but can be distinguished as a result of differences in male antennae, the shape, colour and size of forewings, the range of the species as well as differences in genital shape.

Taxonomy

This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1897 from a specimen collected in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

and obtained from George Hudson. Meyrick originally named the species ''Leucania micrastra''. 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 several ...

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 ...

.'''' Some taxonomy databases have erroneously placed this species within the ''Graphania'' genus (now synonymised with ''Ichneutica'') and misspelt the species name as ''Graphania'' ''micrasta''. In 1988 J. S. Dugdale, in his catalogue of New Zealand Lepidoptera, placed this species within the ''Tmetolophota'' genus.'''' In 2019

Robert Hoare The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

undertook a major review of New Zealand

species. During this review the genus ''Ichneutica'' was greatly expanded and the genus ''Tmetolophota'' was subsumed into that genus and is now regarded as a synonym. As a result of this review, this species is now known as ''Ichneutica micrastra''.

Description

Meyrick described the species as follows: The wingspan of the male of this species is between 36 and 43 mm and for the female is between 40 and 46 mm. This species is very similar in appearance to ''I. phaula'' and ''I. sapiens''. The male ''I. micrastra'' can be distinguished from these two species as there is a difference in pectinations on its antennae. Both male and female ''I. micrastra'' are darker and chunkier than ''I. phaula''. It appears there is also no overlap in range as ''I. phaula'' is found only in the South and Stewart Islands. Both the male and female ''I. micrastra'' lack the faint dark line on the forewing termen of ''I. sapiens'' specimens that connect the vein ends.

Distribution

It is endemic to New Zealand. It is found only in the North Island and has been collected in the Northland, Auckland, Whanganui and Wellington regions.

Habitat

This is a species known from

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

and heathland habitat. It has been collected in flax wetlands and northern gum fields.

Behaviour

Adults of this species are on the wing from October to December.

Life history and host species

The life history of this species is unknown as are the host species of its larvae. Hoare hypothesised that a grass or grass like plants are the likely larval host of this species based on the know preferred habitat and the shape of the female ovipositor, the latter possibly an adaption for placing eggs on such plants.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q104197845 Moths described in 1897 Moths of New Zealand Hadeninae Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Endemic moths of New Zealand