Mallobathra aphrosticha
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| Mallobathra aphrosticha | |
|---|---|
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| Male lectotype | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Psychidae |
| Genus: | Mallobathra |
| Species: | M. aphrosticha |
| Binomial name | |
| Mallobathra aphrosticha | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Mallobathra aphrosticha is a moth of the family Psychidae.[1][2] This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been collected in Fiordland, Otago and Southland. The adults are on the wing in December and the female is semi-apterous.
This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1912 and named Telapora aphrostcha, a misspelling in the original publication.[3][2] He used specimens collected by Alfred Philpott at Hump Ridge in Fiordland at an altitude of 3500 ft.[4] Not long after publication, the spelling of aphrosticha was used in scientific literature to refer to this species.[4] Dugdale discussed this misspelling stating that the appropriate spelling of the species name is aphrositcha as indicated by Mayrick's handwriting on a specimen label.[2] In 1971 this species was placed within the genus Mallobathra.[5] This name was confirmed by the New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity.[1]
Description
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Meyrick described the adults of this species as follows:
♂ 22 mm. Head, palpi, and antennae dark fuscous, antennal ciliations 2+1⁄2. Thorax dark fuscous, with several whitish dots posteriorly. Abdomen dark grey, somewhat whitish-mixed. Forewings elongate, rather narrow at base, posteriorly dilated, costa gently arched, apex obtuse, termen obliquely rounded; all veins separate; white, mixed with grey in disc and towards costa, coarsely reticulated throughout with dark fuscous; the white colour forms a more conspicuous quadrate spot on dorsum before middle, including a dark - fuscous dorsal strigula, and preceded and followed by irregular dark-fuscous spots : cilia fuscous, basal half spotted with white. Hindwings dark grey; cilia fuscous. ♀ apterous, active.[3]
The female of this species is semi-apterous.[4]
