''Scythris niphozela'' 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

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 ...

. 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 else ...

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 ...

. It is classified as "At Risk, Naturally Uncommon" by the Department of Conservation.

Taxonomy

This species was originally described 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 ...

in 1931 using specimens collected by Stewart Lindsay at Birding's Flat in December.

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 1939 publication ''A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand.'' 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 sever ...

specimen is held at the Canterbury Museum.

Description

Meyrick described the species as follows:

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand. Other than the type locality of Birdings Flat at Kaitorete Spit, this species has been recorded as being found at Long Valley Ridge in the Manorburn Ecological District, Central Otago in February. However ''S. niphozela'' is regarded as being endemic to the Kaitorete Spit area.

Biology and life history

This species is on the wing in October to December.

Host species and habitat

Larvae of this species has been found on ''

Carmichaelia appressa ''Carmichaelia appressa'' (common name prostrate broom) is a species of pea in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in the South Island of New Zealand. Its conservation status (2018) is "At Risk - Naturally Uncommon" under the New Zealand Thre ...

'', an endemic species of plant at the Kaitorete Spit. The moth inhabits the foredune area of this land formation and is regarded as being endemic to the gravel barrier present there.

References

niphozela Moths described in 1931 Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Endangered biota of New Zealand Taxa named by Edward Meyrick Endemic moths of New Zealand {{Scythrididae-stub