Robert J. B. Hoare

Adventive species of Lepidoptera recorded for the first time in New Zealand since 1988

Information is provided about the 27 species of foreign Lepidoptera recorded from New Zealand for the first time after 1988. Most of these have become established in this country. Four species (Heteroteucha dichroella (Oecophoridae), Cizara ardeniae (Sphingidae), Papilio xuthus (Papilionidae) and Chasmina sp. (Noctuidae)) are only known in New Zealand from a single specimen, with no evidence of establishment. One established species (Orgyia thyellina (Lymantriidae)) has been deliberately eradicated. Eighteen species are believed to have arrived from Australia, although some of these (e.g. Herpetogramma licarsisalis) also occur elsewhere. Three species (Orgyia thyellina, Artona martini (Zygaenidae) and Papilio xuthus) are Asian in origin. Three species (Agonopterix alstromeriana (Depressariidae), Coleophora striatipennella (Coleophoridae) and Scrobipalpa obsoletella (Gelechiidae)) are European. One species (Monochroa sp. (Gelechiidae)) is probably Palaearctic but has not yet been identified to species.The remaining two species (Trichophysetis sp. (Crambidae) and Chasmina sp.) have not been found in collections from outside New Zealand, but are likely to be Australian. A further two Australian species (Barea codrella (Oecophoridae) and Teia anartoides (Lymantriidae)), first recorded in New Zealand prior to 1988, are dealt with here. All 29 species are illustrated, and a brief diagnosis is provided for adults of species that resemble other New Zealand taxa. Notes are given on origin, date of first collection in New Zealand, known distribution in this country and life history where known.

The Use of Tag-Names and New Zealand Taxonomy

INTRODUCTION AND THE HISTORY AND USE OF TAG-NAMES It has been estimated that New Zealand contains about 20,000 species of insects and that only 10,000 of these have been described (Watt 1975). Many of the named species were not described using modern morphological techniques and are in need of revision. New insect species are continually being discovered by systematists, ecologists performing fi eld surveys, conservation managers and the general public. These new species are even being found amongst the macro-invertebrate fauna (e.g., Jewell 2007). The rate at which new species are discovered, coupled with the large number of known, yet undescribed species and described species in need of revision, means an enormous amount of taxonomic work remains to be done. New Zealand employs far fewer taxonomists than before the state sector reforms of the late 1980s and 1990s and more gradual shifts in research focus within universities is further reducing local systematic activity. For these reasons we are making extremely slow progress towards the ultimate goal of having modern morphological descriptions for every species in the terrestrial invertebrate fauna. Because of the rate of new species discovery and the backlog of revisionary work to be done, there are large numbers of putative new species that the scientifi c community is aware of, but which have not been properly assessed or described by taxonomists. This has led to the use and proliferation of “tag-names.” A tag-name is an informal name that exists outside of the International Codes of Nomenclature and is designed to indicate an entity that may be a separate species, but it may also be a monophyletic group or separate interbreeding population of uncertain taxonomic rank. In New Zealand, these names almost always have inverted commas. The purpose of a tag-name is to act as a temporary label for the putative species until a formal assessment can be made. Unfortunately, due to the shortage of active New Zealand taxonomists or lack of involvement with overseas taxonomists, some tag-names have been in circulation for many years, and new names are continually proposed. In most cases, tag-named entities do not have specimens directly associated with the name, unlike a Holotype in a formal taxonomic description. Our research shows the use of tag-names to be unique to New Zealand and we can fi nd no use of tag-names internationally in web searches, apart from papers in overseas journals that refer to New Zealand taxa. Tagnames usually refer to the location at which the putative new species was fi rst discovered and sometimes are latinised. There are also examples of tag-names being taken from manuscript names in collections. The use of tag-names started in the botanical literature several decades ago (e.g., Hair 1967) and has since spread to invertebrates and elsewhere. Tag-names are commonly encountered in many different taxonomic groups where they appear in peer reviewed publications, ‘grey’ literature, and threatened species lists. The use of tag-names lowers the value of systematics research and facilitates a poor science ethic. The New Zealand fauna and fl ora are highly valued from evolutionary and conservation perspectives and we believe that the endemic use of tag-names should end. We highlight the problems with tag-names and provide a solution.

Phylogeny, classification and divergence times of pygmy leaf‐mining moths (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae): the earliest lepidopteran radiation on Angiosperms?

Nepticulidae represent one of the early diverging Lepidoptera lineages, and the family currently comprises over 850 described species. The larvae of the vast majority of the species are leaf miners on Angiosperms and highly monophagous, which has led to persistent ideas on coevolution with their plant hosts. We present here a molecular phylogeny based on eight gene fragments from 355 species, representing 20 out of 22 extant Nepticulidae genera. Using two fossil calibration points, we performed molecular dating to place the origin of the family in the Early Cretaceous, before the main Angiosperm diversification. Based on our results we propose a new classification, abandoning all ranks between family and genus, as well as subgenera to allow for a stable classification. The position of Enteucha Meyrick within Nepticulidae remains somewhat ambiguous, and the species‐rich cosmopolitan genus Stigmella Schrank, with nearly half of all described Nepticulidae, requires further study. Ectoedemia Busck, Zimmermannia Hering, Acalyptris Meyrick, Etainia Beirne, Parafomoria Borkowski, Muhabbetana Koçak & Kemal and Fomoria Beirne appear to have diversified in a relatively short evolutionary period, leading to short branches in the molecular phylogeny and unclear suprageneric relations. Otherwise support values throughout the phylogeny are mostly high and the species groups, genera and higher clades are discussed in respect of their supporting morphological and life‐history characters. Wing venation characters are confirmed to be mostly reliable and relevant for Nepticulidae classification, but some other previously used characters require reinterpretation. The species groups of most genera are recovered, but only partly so in the large genus Stigmella. The molecular dating results are compared with existing knowledge on the timing of the Angiosperm radiation and reveal that the diversification of Nepticulidae could largely have been contemporaneous with their hosts, although some of the genera restricted to a single plant family appear to have begun to diversify before their hosts.

Phylogeny and host-plant relationships of the Australian Myrtaceae leafmining moth genus Pectinivalva (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae), with new subgenera and species.

Abstract The phylogeny of the mainly Australian nepticulid genus Pectinivalva Scoble, 1983 is investigated on the basis of morphology, and a division into three monophyletic subgenera is proposed on the basis of these results. These subgenera (Pectinivalva, Casanovula Hoare, subgen. n. and Menurella Hoare, subgen. n. ) are described and diagnosed, the described species of Pectinivalva are assigned to them, and representative new species are described in each: Pectinivalva (Pectinivalva) mystaconota Hoare, sp. n., Pectinivalva (Casanovula) brevipalpa Hoare, sp. n., Pectinivalva (Casanovula) minotaurus Hoare, sp. n., Pectinivalva (Menurella) scotodes Hoare, sp. n., Pectinivalva (Menurella) acmenae Hoare, sp. n., Pectinivalva (Menurella) xenadelpha Van Nieukerken & Hoare, sp. n., Pectinivalva (Menurella) quintiniae Hoare & Van Nieukerken, sp. n., and Pectinivalva (Menurella) tribulatrix Van Nieukerken & Hoare, sp. n. Pectinivalva (Menurella) quintiniae (from Quintinia verdonii, Paracryphiaceae) is the first known member of the genus with a host-plant not belonging to Myrtaceae. Pectinivalva (Menurella) xenadelpha from Mt Gunung Lumut, Kalimantan, Borneo, is the first pectinivalvine reported from outside Australia. Keys to the subgenera of Nepticulidae known from Australia, based on adults, male and female genitalia, and larvae, are presented. Host-plant relationships of Pectinivalva are discussed with relation to the phylogeny, and a list of known host-plants of Pectinivalva, including hosts of undescribed species, is presented. DNA barcodes are provided for most of the new and several unnamed species.

A new species of Hierodoris Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) with a telescopic ovipositor, from granite sand plains in Fiordland

A new species, Hierodoris extensilis Hoare (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae), is described from Fiordland, New Zealand. Adults fly by day in February and appear to be restricted to granite sand and gravel fields from 1,150 to 1,500 m above sea level on Mts Titiroa and Burns. The female has an exceptionally long telescopic ovipositor, which suggests that eggs may be laid beneath the surface of the sand in proximity to plant stems or roots. The species is assigned to the H. iophanes Meyrick group of Hoare (2005), and brings the total number of species in this endemic New Zealand genus to 19. New information on the life history of H. iophanes, a miner in cicada-damaged twigs of miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea), is given.

The world's thinnest caterpillar? A new genus and species of Batrachedridae (Lepidoptera) from Sporadanthus ferrugineus (Restionaceae), a threatened New Zealand plant.

Houdinia flexilissima, gen. nov., sp. nov. is described from peatlands in the North Island of New Zealand. The extremely narrow larvae mine and pupate in the living stems of Sporadanthus ferrugineus de Lange, Heenan & Clarkson, (Restionaceae), a large endemic rush. Eggs, larvae, pupae and adults are fully described and illustrated. The systematic placement of this autapomorphic taxon is discussed in detail, and it is assigned within Gelechioidea to Batrachedridae on the basis of characters shared with a taxon currently placed in Batrachedra. Because of its morphological distinctiveness, as well as threats to the habitat of its very local host plant, H. flexilissima, gen. nov., sp. nov. is considered a species of high conservation status.

Molecular phylogeny reveals the repeated evolution of complex male genital traits in the New Zealand moth genus Izatha (Lepidoptera: Xyloryctidae)

Male genitalia are among the most rapidly evolving and divergent morphological structures and sexual selection is known to drive this phenomenon in many taxa. Because of their diversity, even within a single genus, genital characters are frequently used to infer relationships among closely‐related species. Moths within the genus Izatha (Xyloryctidae) are ideal candidates for investigating the phylogenetic patterns of genital evolution as they display great variation in male genital structure and complexity. We determined the evolutionary relationships among 31 species of Izatha by constructing a molecular phylogeny of the genus based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene and the isocitrate dehydrogenase and carbamoylphosphate synthase domain protein nuclear genes. This allowed estimations of ancestral male genital character states and patterns of male genital diversification using maximum‐likelihood models. The genus is divided into two well‐supported clades and two poorly supported clades at the root of the phylogeny with incomplete phylogenetic resolution within two species groups, likely due to rapid speciation. Izatha display a number of apomorphic phallic traits including cornuti (sclerotized spines) which are either discharged into the female during copulation (deciduous cornuti) or fixed to the male phallus (compound and fish‐hook cornuti). Within the genus, there is a reduction of secondary genital characters – the uncus and gnathos – but an elaboration of another grasping structure, the juxta; the potential origin and functionality of these male genital traits are discussed. Overall, some male genital characters provided a good indication of species relationships; however, several parts of the complex male genitalia of Izatha show evidence of homoplasy and convergence highlighting the problems of using these traits in determining species relationships. Additionally, this convergence has highlighted that complex genital structures may evolve repeatedly and independently within a lineage.

Lepidoptera of gumland heaths — a threatened and rare ecosystem of northern New Zealand

The Lepidoptera fauna of gumland heaths, an ecosystem restricted to northern New Zealand, is reviewed. A total of 161 species (one including two subspecies) is recorded from the 14 sites surveyed; all are listed. Significant finds amongst endemic and adventive Lepidoptera are discussed. Two new endemic species were collected during the survey (Paramorpha new species 1 (Carposinidae) and ‘Megacraspedus’ new species 1 (Gelechiidae)). Four species and one subspecies of adventive Lepidoptera are recorded here for the first time from mainland New Zealand, although the gumland records do not constitute the first or only records from this country: Cosmopterix attenuatella (Cosmopterigidae), Lepidoscia protorna (Psychidae), Ephestiopsis oenobarella (Pyralidae: Phycitinae), Pantydia sparsa (Noctuidae: Catocalinae) and Uresiphita polygonalis ornithopteralis (Crambidae: Pyraustinae). Gumland sites are provisionally compared on the basis of Lepidoptera species richness and number of specialist species recorded, and Whakaruangangana, near Kaikohe, is so far considered the site of highest conservation significance.

The insect fauna of granite sand plains: a naturally rare ecosystem in New Zealand

ABSTRACT Granite sand plains constitute one of New Zealands 72 historically rare ecosystems. They occur in the alpine zone of the South Island and are known from only four sites. Invertebrates were sampled by pitfall trapping, netting and hand searching by day in two areas: the sand plains of the Lookout Range, Nelson, on 9–17 January 2008; and Mt Titiroa, Fiordland, on 3–10 February 2009. Sampling was of a preliminary, qualitative nature, due to inconsistencies in weather, year and season between the visits to the two locations, and no rigorous comparison is presented. The results of these surveys are summarised in an annotated species list (38 species), and a selection of these is illustrated. No insect species was found at both sites, and the only shared genera (Anabarhynchus [Diptera: Therevidae], Odontria [Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae], Lyperobius [Coleoptera: Curculionidae]) have diversified throughout the alpine zone of the South Island. Many species could not confidently be identified to species level based on current knowledge, and the samples included an undescribed genus and species of Carabidae (Coleoptera), and probable new species of Prodontria and Stethaspis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Anabarhynchus (Diptera: Therevidae) and Tortricidae (Lepidoptera). A further Lepidoptera species from the Mt Titiroa sand plains (Hierodoris extensilis Hoare, 2012 [Xyloryctidae]) has already been described as new. Whether any of these species is strictly associated with and endemic to the sand plain ecosystem remains to be confirmed. Lepidoptera recorded on Mt Titiroa outside the sand plains are listed in an Appendix.