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Hydriomena clarkei
Species of moth From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Hydriomena clarkei is a species of moth in the family Geometridae. This species is endemic to New Zealand. It is classified as "At Risk, Declining'" by the Department of Conservation.
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Taxonomy
This species was first described by George Howes in 1917 and named Chloroclystis clarkei.[2][3] Howes used a specimen collected by Charles E. Clarke in March at Flagstaff Hill in Dunedin and named the species in his honour.[2][3] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand.[4] In 1988 John S. Dugdale placed this species within the genus Hydriomena.[3] The holotype specimen is held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum.[5][3] The genus level classification of this moth is currently regarded as unsatisfactory.[6] As such the species is also known as Hydriomena (s.l.) clarkei.[6]
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Description
Howes described the female adult of the species as follows:
♀︎ 25 mm. Head and appendages, thorax, and abdomen grey-brown. Forewings dark grey-brown, with the veins distinctly shown by being irrorated with black and grey to 2⁄3 across wing, and from there to termen irrorated with yellow and black; a black line edges costa, interrupted by two white marks at 1⁄3, followed by three white marks at 1⁄2, two white marks at 3⁄4, another close to apex : these marks all rather indistinct. Termen distinctly edged with a thin black line, interrupted by yellow dots at the ends of the veins. Hindwings grey suffused with darker grey, and with a rather indistinct series of transverse irregular fines; termen distinctly edged with a thin dark line, small yellow dots interrupting it on the veins : cilia light grey with a dark-grey line at base.[2]
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Distribution
This species is endemic to New Zealand.[6][7] It has occurred in Dunedin, Central Otago and at the Otago Lakes.[8] H. clarkei is considered extinct at its type locality of Flagstaff Hill.[8]
Biology and life cycle
Much of the biology of H. clarkei is unknown.[8] This species is on the wing in February and March.[2][4]
Host plants and habitat
The host plants of the larvae of this species are unknown but it has been reared in captivity on Geranium species.[8] Hudson states that the species could be located amongst shrub-land containing Dracophyllum and Leucopogon species.[4]
Conservation status
This moth is classified under the New Zealand Threat Classification system as being "At Risk, Declining".[1]
References
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