Eudonia asaleuta is a moth of the family Crambidae.[1] It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1907.[2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in the South Island in the West Coast, Fiordland,Canterbury, Otago and Southland regions. This species inhabits bare shingle areas as well as tussock habitat with few trees or scrub at altitudes of under 1000 m. Adults are on the wing from November to February.
| Eudonia asaleuta | |
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| Female | |
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| Male | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Crambidae |
| Genus: | Eudonia |
| Species: | E. asaleuta
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| Binomial name | |
| Eudonia asaleuta | |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
editThis species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1907 using specimens collected at Lake Wakatipu by George Hudson and named Scoparia asaleuta.[2][3] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[4] In the 2010 the book The New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity placed this species in the genus Eudonia.[1] However some publications, subsequent to that book, continue to refer to this species as Scoparia asaleuta.[5]
Description
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Meyrick described this species as follows:
♀. 21-23 mm. Head, palpi, and thorax prismatic bronzy- grey, suffusedly irrorated with white ; palpi 2+1⁄4. Antennae dark grey, suffusedly ringed with white. Abdomen pale ochreous, sprinkled with grey. Forewings very elongate, narrow, posteriorly dilated, costa subsinuate in middle, slightly arched posteriorly, apex obtuse, termen nearly straight, hardly oblique, rounded beneath ; iridescent pale ochreous mixed with dark bluish-grey, wholly suffused or densely irrorated with white except dark markings as under — viz., an undefined subbasal fascia ; a nearly direct fascia representing first line, dilated posteriorly above middle ; an 8-shaped discal mark ; a broadt erminal fascia, on which the second and subterminal lines appear as whitish shades confluent in middle and sometimes partially obsolete : cilla whitish-ochreous, tips whitish, with narrow basal and broader postmedian grey shades. Hindwings without hairs in cell ; pale greyish-ochreous, with suffused dark-grey terminal fascia ; cilia ochreous-grey-whitish, with grey basal line.[2]
This species has forewings that a coloured a bluish grey with a sheen that camouflages the moth against rocks.[5]
Distribution
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This species is endemic to New Zealand.[1] It has been found in the West Coast, Fiordland, Canterbury, Otago and Southland.[6][2][4] In particular it has been collected in Lake Wakatipu, Aoraki / Mount Cook, Waiho River bed, Lake Manapouri, Hope Arm in Fiordland, Danseys Pass, Makarora and Invercargill.[2][6][7]
Habitat
editThis species is known to inhabit open areas of bare shingle as well as tussock habitat with few trees or scrub at altitudes of under 1000 m.[8][6][9]
Behaviour
editThe adults of this species are on the wing from November to February but are more common in January and February.[6][8] This species has been collected in light traps, Malaise traps, and pan traps.[10]
References
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- ^ a b c d Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 458. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC 973607714. OL 25288394M. Wikidata Q45922947.
- ^ a b c d e Edward Meyrick (June 1907). "Notes and descriptions of Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 39: 111. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q110404133.
- ^ John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. 14. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: 160. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
- ^ a b George Vernon Hudson (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, LCCN 88133764, OCLC 25449322, Wikidata Q58593286
- ^ a b Hoare, Robert J. B. (9 December 2019). "Noctuinae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) part 2: Nivetica, Ichneutica" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 80. Illustrator: Birgit E. Rhode: 54. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.80. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q94481265. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d Alfred Philpott (30 August 1930). "The Lepidoptera of Mount Cook District, with Descriptions of New Species". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 61: 419–439. ISSN 1176-6166. Wikidata Q66085040.
- ^ George Vernon Hudson (1939), A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 424, OCLC 9742724, Wikidata Q109420935
- ^ a b B. Patrick (January 1982). "Lepidoptera of Danseys Pass, Otago". New Zealand Entomologist. 7 (3): 332–336. doi:10.1080/00779962.1982.9722418. ISSN 0077-9962. Wikidata Q54755440.
- ^ Department of Conservation (January 2006). Crown Pastoral Land Tenure Review - Coronet Peak part 1 (PDF) (Report). Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ Murray, Tara J. (15 September 2019). "Invertebrates of the Tasman River Plain: Characteristics of the invertebrate community and an analysis of sampling methods for biodiversity assessment" (PDF). Department of Conservation. Retrieved 1 August 2022.