''Aoraia'' is a genus 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 ...
s of the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Hepialidae
The Hepialidae are a family of insects in the lepidopteran order. Moths of this family are often referred to as swift moths or ghost moths.
Taxonomy and systematics
The Hepialidae constitute by far the most diverse group of the infraorder Exop ...
. There are 13 described species, all
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 ...
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
type species of this genus is ''Porina dinodes'' Meyrick, 1890.
This genus contains some large species with a
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...
of up to 150 mm.
Species
* ''
Aoraia aspina''
* ''
Aoraia aurimaculata''
* ''
Aoraia dinodes''
* ''
Aoraia ensyii''
* ''
Aoraia flavida''
* ''
Aoraia hespera''
* ''
Aoraia insularis'' – confined to
Stewart Island/Rakiura
Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...
& the small islands off Stewart Island/Rakiura.
* ''
Aoraia lenis''
* ''
Aoraia macropis''
* ''
Aoraia oreobolae''
* ''
Aoraia orientalis''
* ''
Aoraia rufivena''
* ''
Aoraia senex''
Buller's moth
Buller's moth (''Aoraia mairi'') is possibly extinct
and the description of this moth remains in doubt as the only recorded specimen, taken in 1867, has been lost.
References
External links
Hepialidae genera
Hepialidae
Moths of New Zealand
Taxa named by Lionel Jack Dumbleton
Exoporia genera
Endemic fauna of New Zealand
Endemic moths of New Zealand
{{Hepialidae-stub