Sagephora felix

Sagephora felix is a species of moth in the family Tineidae.^[2][1] It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1914. This species is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the north half of the North Island. It inhabits native forest and adults of the species are on the wing from December to May, in July and November.

Sagephora felix
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Tineidae
Genus:	Sagephora
Species:	S. felix
Binomial name
Sagephora felix Meyrick, 1914[1]

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1914, using a specimen collected by George Hudson at Kaeo in January, and named Sagephora felix.^[3] In 1928 George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species using that name.^[4] The male holotype specimen is held in the Natural History Museum, London.^[5]

Description

Illustration by George Hudson c. 1927

This species was described by Meyrick as follows:

♂. 10 mm. Head and thorax white. Palpi white, second joint dark fuscous except apex. Antennae white, with a blackish band at 2⁄3, and tip dark fuscous. (Abdomen broken.) Forewings elongate, rather narrow, costa gently arched, apex tolerably pointed, termen very obliquely rounded; shining snow-white; a dark-fuscous streak along costa from base to 2⁄5, edged below with ochreous-brown; a transverse dark-fuscous spot in disc at 2⁄5, touching extremity of costal streak; an irregular line of scattered dark-fuscous specks surrounded with some faint pale-yellowish suffusion running from fold before this spot near dorsum, and thence as a subterminal line to a fuscous spot on costa at 4⁄5; a rather dark fuscous spot along apical portion of costa : cilia white, on costa barred with fuscous. Hindwings pale whitish-grey; cilia ochreous-whitish.^[3]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.^[5] This species has been collected at its type locality Kaeo, as well as at Auckland and Wellington.^[4]

Habitat

This species inhabits native forest.^[4]

Behaviour

The adults of this species are on the wing December to May, July and November.^[4][6]