''Orocrambus sophronellus'' 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 Crambidae. 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 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 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 Edward Meyrick in 1885, from a specimen given to him by

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 ...

. Meyrick named the species ''Crambus sophronellus''. Meyrick gave a more detailed description of the species later that year. In 1928

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 ...

also described and illustrated the species. In 1975

David E. Gaskin David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

placed the species in the genus ''

Orocrambus ''Orocrambus'' is a genus of moths of the family Crambidae. All species are Endemism, endemic to New Zealand. Species *''Orocrambus abditus'' Philpott, 1924 *''Orocrambus aethonellus'' Meyrick, 1883 *''Orocrambus angustipennis'' Zeller, 1877 *'' ...

''. Gaskin argues that Hudsons illustration in his 1928 book is actually of the species '' O. cyclopicus''. The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

locality of the specimen is uncertain but is possibly

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. ...

. The type 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

Meyrick described the species as follows:

Distribution

This species is

. It has been recorded in Taparewa near Nelson, the Mackenzie Basin, and

Central Otago Central Otago is located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River and tributa ...

. It is possibly also present in

Life cycle and behaviour

Adult moths have been recorded on wing in March. The species is attracted to light.

Habitat

''O. sophronellus'' is thought to occur in short tussock grasslands.

Host species

''O. sophronellus'' is associated with '' Carex muelleri''.

Conservation status

This moth is 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 Data Deficient.

References

External links

Image of female holotype specimenImage of male and female speciesSpecimen held by Auckland War Memorial Museum
Crambinae Moths described in 1885 Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Endangered biota of New Zealand Endemic moths of New Zealand {{Crambinae-stub