''Phaeosaces coarctatella'' 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

Oecophoridae Oecophoridae (concealer moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this. Ta ...

. 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 ...

and can be found throughout the country. The preferred habitat of this species is native forest however they can also be found in domestic gardens. Larvae shelter in hollow twigs or under bark and emerge at night to browse on lichens. They pupate within their shelter. Adults are on the wing from September to January and are variable in their appearance. They vary both in colour, from reddish brown to a greenish yellow shade, and also in the extent of the black marking on their forewings. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Francis Walker using specimens collected in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

by T. R. Oxley and named ''Cryptolechia coarctatella''. In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus ''Phaeosaces'' and at the same time synonymised ''Phaeosaces liochroa'' with this species. In 1927

Alfred Philpott Alfred Philpott (15 December 1870 – 24 July 1930) was a New Zealand museum curator, entomologist and writer. He was born in Tysoe, Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The ...

studied the male genitalia of ''Cryptolechia liochroa.''

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 and illustrated this species in his 1928 book ''The butterflies and moths of New Zealand'' under the name ''Cryptolechia liochroa''. The male

lectotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes the ...

specimen, collected in Nelson, 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

Walker described the male adult of this species as follows: ''P. coarctatella'' has a wingspan of between 22 and 30 mm and is variable in appearance with some specimens having a greenish shade to their forewings and others being a reddish brown colour. The extent of black shading on the forewings of this species is also variable. The male genitalia of ''P. coarctatella'' is extremely long and has over 30 spirals however the reason for this is unknown.

Distribution

''P. coarctatella'' is endemic to New Zealand and are found throughout the country.

Behaviour

Adults of this species are on the wing from September to January. They are nocturnal and are attracted to light. When the adults are disturbed these moths often fall to the ground where they remain motionless. Hudson states that when they are in this position they closely resemble a dead leaf and that this imitation provides the moth with some protection from predators.

Habitat and hosts

This species inhabits native forest and cultivated areas such as domestic gardens. The larvae are lichen browsers and are nocturnal. They shelter in hollow twigs, under bark or old wood-borer tunnels during the day and emerge to feed on epiphytic lichens during the evening. Larvae pupate in their shelter.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q7180103 Oecophoridae Moths of New Zealand Moths described in 1864 Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Francis Walker (entomologist) Endemic moths of New Zealand