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''Scythris nigra'' is a species of
Philpott described this species as follows:
This species can be distinguished from the similar appearing '' S. triatma'' as it has a much darker appearance and lacks the bluish-slate colour that can be seen on the fore-wings of ''S. triatma''.
''S. nigra'' normally lives in alpine habitats however it can be also found at relatively low altitudes such as at Waitahuna Hill near Lake Mahinerangi. The larvae of this species feed on '' Hebe odora''.
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 Scythrididae
Scythrididae (flower moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The family is sometimes included in the Xyloryctidae as a subfamily Scythridinae, but the Xyloryctidae themselves have sometimes been included in the Oecopho ...
first described by Alfred Philpott in 1931. 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 ...
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 ...
. The larvae of this species feeds on '' Hebe odora.'' The adults are day flying and on the wing in December.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1931 using specimens collected onMaungatua
Maungatua, known also as Maukaatua is a prominent ridge in the Taieri Plains in Otago, New Zealand.
It rises 895 metres above the floodplain of the Taieri River, directly to the west of Dunedin's airport at Momona. It can be clearly seen from m ...
in December by C. E. Clarke. The male 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 Auckland War Memorial Museum
The Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira (or simply the Auckland Museum) is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its collections concentrate on New Zealand history (and especially the history of the Aucklan ...
.
Description
Philpott described this species as follows:
This species can be distinguished from the similar appearing '' S. triatma'' as it has a much darker appearance and lacks the bluish-slate colour that can be seen on the fore-wings of ''S. triatma''.
Distribution
This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the lower parts of the South Island.Behaviour
The adults of this species are day flying and on the wing in December.Habitat and hosts
''S. nigra'' normally lives in alpine habitats however it can be also found at relatively low altitudes such as at Waitahuna Hill near Lake Mahinerangi. The larvae of this species feed on '' Hebe odora''.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q14325826 Scythrididae Moths described in 1931 Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Alfred Philpott Endemic moths of New Zealand