Tingena contextella is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae.[2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has found in the North and South Islands. The larvae of this species feed on leaf litter.
| Tingena contextella | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male lectotype | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Oecophoridae |
| Genus: | Tingena |
| Species: | T. contextella
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tingena contextella | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Taxonomy edit
This species was first described by Frances Walker in 1864 using specimen collected by T. R. Oxley in Nelson.[3][2] In 1915 Meyrick placed this species within the Borkhausenia genus and synonymised it with Borkhausenia plagiatella.[4] George Hudson discussed this species as a synonym of B. plagiatella in his 1928 publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[5] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale removed this species from this synonymy and placed this species in the genus Tingena.[2] The male lectotype is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]
Description edit
Walker described this species as follows:
Male. Cinereous, shining and with an aeneous tinge beneath. Palpi much longer than the breadth of the head; second joint black towards the base ; third lanceolate, much shorter than the second. Antennae smooth, slender, much shorter than the fore wings. Wings moderately broad, rounded at the tips ; fringe moderately long. Fore wings partly tinged with aeneous, irregularly speckled with black scales, which also form an oblique mark hindward before the middle, a dot in the middle of the disk, a smaller mark on the interior border, and two transverse undulating submarginal lines, which are dilated towards the costa ; exterior border very oblique. Hind wings shining, with a slight aeneous tinge. Length of the body 3 lines ; of the wings 8 lines.[3]
Distribution edit
This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in not just the type locality of Nelson but also in the Wellington region.[1][6]
Behaviour edit
The larvae of this species feed on leaf litter.[6]
References edit
- ^ a b Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 462. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3. OCLC 973607714. OL 25288394M. Wikidata Q45922947.
- ^ a b c d e 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: 101. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
- ^ a b Francis Walker (1864), List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum, Part XXIX. - Tineites, London, p. 656, Wikidata Q110191308
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ E. Meyrick (12 July 1915). "Revision of New Zealand Tineina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 47: 213. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q63123349.
- ^ George Vernon Hudson (1928), The butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 270, LCCN 88133764, OCLC 25449322, Wikidata Q58593286
- ^ a b Patrick, Brian H. (2004). Coastal butterflies and moths of Wellington and south Wairarapa (PDF) (Report) – via Department of Conservation.