Porphyrosela hardenbergiella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. First identified in a suburban garden in Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand in 1955 feeding on Hardenbergia, the species was likely introduced from Australia, although no members of the species have been found there.
| Porphyrosela hardenbergiella | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Gracillariidae |
| Genus: | Porphyrosela |
| Species: | P. hardenbergiella
|
| Binomial name | |
| Porphyrosela hardenbergiella (Wise, 1957)
| |
| Synonyms | |
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Taxonomy
editThe species was first described as Lithocolletis hardenbergiella in 1957 by Keith Arthur John Wise, who described the species based on specimens taken from Hardenbergia growing in a suburban garden in Epsom, Auckland, New Zealand that were first noticed in April 1954.[1] Wise described this as a new species due to morphological differences seen compared to Australian species of Lithocolletis.[1] Specimens collected in 1955 were placed in the collections of the Plant Diseases Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and in the Natural History Museum, Berlin.[1]
The species was placed in the genus Porphyrosela by Tosio Kumata in 1993.[2]
Description
editThe moth is darkly coloured with white markings, and has a length of 2 mm (0.079 in).[1]
Behaviour
editThe larvae feed on Hardenbergia species. They mine the leaves of their host plant.[3]
Distribution
editIt is known from New Zealand,[4] but may be adventive, since the host plant is Australian. The colony known to Wise has been destroyed since its discovery.[5] This species was last collected in New Zealand in 1955 but as of 2019 was still not known from Australia.[3] Porphyrosela hardenbergiella is considered an adventive non-native species.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Wise, K. A. J. (1957). "A new species of Lithocolletis (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) from New Zealand". Proceedings of the Royal Entomological Society of London. Series B, Taxonomy. 26 (1–2): 26–28. doi:10.1111/J.1365-3113.1957.TB01503.X. ISSN 0375-0434. OCLC 4642157724. Wikidata Q103869731.
- ^ Kumata, Tosio (February 1993). "A contribution to the knowledge of the Malaysian Lithocolletinae (Gracillariidae, Lepidoptera), with a revision of Indian Cameraria associated with Leguminosae" (PDF). Insecta Matsumurana. 48: 1–85. hdl:2115/9867. ISSN 0020-1804. Wikidata Q113947302.
- ^ a b Robert J. B. Hoare; Brian H Patrick; Thomas R. Buckley (22 July 2019). "A new leaf-mining moth from New Zealand, Sabulopteryx botanica sp. nov. (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae, Gracillariinae), feeding on the rare endemic shrub Teucrium parvifolium (Lamiaceae), with a revised checklist of New Zealand Gracillariidae". ZooKeys. 865 (865): 39–65. doi:10.3897/ZOOKEYS.865.34265. ISSN 1313-2989. PMC 6663935. PMID 31379443. Wikidata Q70104394.
- ^ Global Taxonomic Database of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera)
- ^ Fauna of New Zealand - Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa
- ^ Hoare, Robert JB (2001). "Adventive species of Lepidoptera recorded for the first time in New Zealand since 1988". New Zealand Entomologist. 24 (1): 23–47. doi:10.1080/00779962.2001.9722079. ISSN 0077-9962.
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