''Theoxena'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

moth genus in the family Geometridae erected by Edward Meyrick in 1883. Its only species, ''Theoxena scissaria'', was first described by Achille Guenée in 1868. 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 ...

. This species has been classified as ''nationally vulnerable'' 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

It was described by Guenée in 1868 from a specimen obtained in

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. ...

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 ...

and named ''Panagra scissaria''. In 1883 Edward Meyrick placed the species into the newly created genus ''Theoxena''. In 1898 and 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 ''Theoxena scissaria''. The lectotype 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

. Its range is in North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury, Mackenzie, Central Otago and Otago Lakes. Other than the type locality, specimens have been collected near the foot of Mount Hutt, the Winchmore Irrigation Research Station near Ashburton, at the lower slopes of Mount Ida in

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 ...

, Horseshoe Slip on Mount Grey, and

Ashley Gorge The Ashley Gorge is a river gorge of the Ashley River / Rakahuri in Canterbury, New Zealand. The river is bridged at the mouth of the gorge by the Inland Scenic Route, formerly designated State Highway 72. A popular picnic ground and camping area ...

. It is now possibly extinct on the Canterbury Plains.

Life cycle and behaviour

The life history of ''T. scissaria'' is still uncertain. Adults have been collected in late winter at the foot of Mount Ida, though none were collected there after August. This species has also been recorded as being on the wing in June, December and January. It is most commonly seen between the months of May and July. A second generation emerges during the summer months. Although ''T. scissaria'' has been collected during the day, it is attracted to light.

Habitat

This species frequents plains.

Host species

The host species of ''T. scissaria'' is as yet unknown. However, this species has been associated with the tussock grass '' Poa cita''. It has been hypothesised that the host species for ''T. scissaria'' larvae may be in the genus '' Carmichaelia''.

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 ''nationally vulnerable''.

References

Geometridae Moths described in 1868 Moths of New Zealand Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Achille Guenée Endangered biota of New Zealand Endemic moths of New Zealand {{Oenochrominae-stub