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 | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Gracillariidae |
Genus: | Porphyrosela |
Species: | P. hardenbergiella
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Binomial name | |
Porphyrosela hardenbergiella (Wise, 1957)
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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.