Physetica homoscia
Female
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Noctuidae
Genus: Physetica
Species:
P. homoscia
Binomial name
Physetica homoscia
(Meyrick, 1887)[1]
Synonyms[2][1]
  • Mamestra homoscia Meyrick, 1887
  • Melanchra homoscia (Meyrick, 1887)
  • Hyssia sminthistis Hampson, 1905
  • Graphania homoscia (Meyrick, 1887)

Physetica homoscia is a species of moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and is found throughout New Zealand including in the Auckland Islands. This species inhabits places where its host plants are common and this includes costal dune habitat. It lives at a wide range of altitudes from sea-level up to at least 1750 m. The larvae of P. homoscia feed on Ozothamnus leptophyllus and Ozothamnus vauvilliersii. They are very active and drop to the ground when disturbed. Larvae are parasitised by a species of fly. This species pupates in the soil and the pupa life stage lasts for approximately 6 weeks. The adult moths are on the wing from September to June and are attracted to light. The adults of P. homoscia might possibly be confused with Ichneutica moderata however this latter species lacks the small white dots on the forewing veins of P. homoscia. Adults might also be confused with P. temperata but P. homoscia is significantly larger in size.

Taxonomy

Illustration of Hampson's Hyssia sminthistis

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1887 and named Mamestra homoscia.[3] In 1898 George Hudson placed this species within the genus Melanchra.[4] George Hampson thinking he was describing a new species, named this moth Hyssia sminthistis in 1905.[5] Meyrick synonymised this latter name into Melanchra homoscia.[6] In 1971 J. S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Graphania.[7] In 1988 Dugdale confirmed this placement in his Catalogue of New Zealand Lepidoptera.[2] In 2017 Robert Hoare undertook a review of New Zealand Noctuinae and placed this species in the genus Physetica.[1] The male holotype specimen was collected by George Hudson in Wellington and is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[1]

Description

Illustration of the larva of P. homoscia by George Hudson.

Dugdale described the larva of this species as follows:

Body colour pattern in black and yellowish or greenish brown, variegated. Dorsal area longitudinally, darkly marbled, seta D1 on a small, and D2 on a large white patch, the D2 patch connected with a prominent pallid subdorsal line; zone between this and spiracle longitudinally marbled; spiracle on a dark patch, subspiracular line broadest behind, narrowest just in front of spiracle; subventral and ventral zones pallid, obscurely marbled; ventral line obscure to prominent.[7]

Meyrick originally described the species as follows:

Male. — 38 mm. Head, palpi, antennae, thorax, abdomen, and legs grey ; antennae with short triangular transverse dentations (1⁄2), strongly ciliated ; thorax with moderate anterior crest ; anal tuft ochreous-tinged. Forewings moderately dilated, costa almost straight, apex obtuse, hindmargin crenulate, obliquely with two tolerably distinct series of white dots, preceded and followed by black marks, before first and beyond second lines ; lines dark-margined, tolerably defined ; orbicular and claviform hardly traceable ; reniform indicated by whitish lateral margins ; subterminal faintly paler, not dark-margined, waved : cilia grey. Hindwings grey, darker posteriorly ; cilia grey-whitish, with a cloudy grey line.[3]

The wingspan of the adult male is between 29.5 and 43 mm and the adult female is between 35 and 46 mm.[1] P. homoscia has a plain brown coloured forewing and older specimens can possibly be confused with Ichneutica moderata.[1] However this latter species lacks the small white dots on the forewing veins that are present on the forewings of P. homoscia.[1] It might also be confused with P. temperata however P. homoscia is significantly larger in size.[1]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[8][9] It is found throughout New Zealand including in the Auckland Islands.[1]

Habitat

This species inhabits places where its host plants are common and this includes costal dune habitat.[1] It lives at a wide range of altitudes from sea-level up to at least 1750 m.[1]

Behaviour

The larvae are very active and drop to the ground when disturbed.[4] The adult moths are on the wing from September to June and are attracted to light.[1][4]

Life history and host species

Ozothamnus leptophyllus, a larval host species of P. homoscia.'

Larvae of P. homoscia feed on Ozothamnus leptophyllus and Ozothamnus vauvilliersii.[1] Hudson states that the larvae are parasitised by a species of fly.[4] The larvae pupate in the soil and the pupa life stage lasts for approximately 6 weeks.[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Physetica homoscia.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Robert J. B. Hoare (23 June 2017). Illustrator: Birgit E. Rhode. "Noctuinae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) part 1: Austramathes, Cosmodes, Proteuxoa, Physetica" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research. 73: 43–44. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.73. ISSN 0111-5383. OCLC 1002177011. Wikidata Q44893580.
  2. 1 2 John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. 14: 202v. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
  3. 1 2 Edward Meyrick (1887). "Monograph of New Zealand Noctuina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 19: 21–22. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q104048034.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 George Vernon Hudson (1898), New Zealand moths and butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera), Illustrator: George Hudson, London, p. 21, doi:10.5962/BHL.TITLE.7912, OCLC 980865393, Wikidata Q19073637{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ↑ George Francis Hampson (1905), Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phalaenae in the British Museum. Volume V: Catalogue of the Noctuidae in the Collection of the British Museum, vol. 5, p. 280, Wikidata Q97092303
  6. ↑ Edward Meyrick (1912). "A revision of the classification of the New Zealand Caradrinina". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 44: 102. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q107609940.
  7. 1 2 Dugdale, J. S. (10 November 1971). "Entomology of the Aucklands and other islands south of New Zealand: Lepidoptera, excluding non-crambine Pyralidae" (PDF). Pacific Insects Monographs. 27: 121. ISSN 0078-7515. Wikidata Q64006453.
  8. ↑ "Physetica homoscia (Meyrick, 1887)". www.nzor.org.nz. 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Physetica homoscia (Meyrick, 1887)". nztcs.org.nz. 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
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