Hydriomena clarkei

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]

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]

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]

Much of the biology of H. clarkei is unknown.^[8] This species is on the wing in February and March.^[2][4]