''Pasiphila cotinaea'' 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 ''met ...

. 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 ...

. Its larvae feed off ''

Olearia ''Olearia'', most commonly known as daisy-bush, is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Asteraceae, the largest of the flowering plant families in the world. Olearia are found in Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand. The genus i ...

'' species and the adult moth can be seen on the wing from November to April. This species is regarded as rare.

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 1913 by

Edward Meyrick Edward Meyrick (25 November 1854, in Ramsbury – 31 March 1938, at Thornhanger, Marlborough) was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern m ...

and named ''Chloroclystis cotinaea''. Meyrick collected the type specimen in March 1883 in

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

. This 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 ...

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 ...

discussed this species in 1928 in his book ''The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand'' stating that no other examples of this moth had yet been found. In 1931 Meyrick, thinking he was describing a new species, again described and naming it ''Chloroclystis tornospila''. Meyrick used a specimen collected by George Hudson in the

Tongariro National Park Tongariro National Park (; ) is the oldest national park in New Zealand,Department of Conservation"Tongariro National Park: Features", retrieved 21 April 2013 located in the central North Island. It has been acknowledged by UNESCO as a World H ...

which is also held at the Natural History Museum, London. In 1939 Hudson illustrated this moth in ''A Supplement to the Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand''. Hudson also illustrated what he believed to be the female of the species in 1950. In 1971 John S. Dugdale placed ''C. cotinaea'' within the genus ''Pasiphila''. ''C. tornospila'' was synonymised with ''P. cotinaea'' in 1988 by Dugdale.

Description

Meyrick described this species as follows: The larvae of this species are green, red and white lined.

Distribution

''P. cotinaea'' is endemic to New Zealand. It is known from the middle of the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

down as far south as

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Re ...

and is abundant in the eastern part of the South Island. However they have not been found in eastern

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

. This species is regarded as being rare.

Life cycle and behaviour

Adults are on wing from November to April and are most common in April. There may be two generations per year. Hudson mentions that he collected a specimen that was attracted to light.

Host species and habitat

Olearia odorata in Dunedin Botanic Garden 12

The preferred habitat of this lowland species are forested valleys and associated shrublands. The larvae feed on the flowers of various small-leaved ''Olearia'' species including '' O. odorata'', '' O. bullata'', '' O. laxiflora'', '' O. fimbriata'', '' O. hectorii'' and '' O. virgata''.

References

Moths described in 1913 cotinaea Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Endemic moths of New Zealand {{Eupitheciini-stub