Adventive moths (Lepidoptera) established in mainland new Zealand: Additions and new identifications since 2001

Abstract

© 2018, Entomological Society of Queensland. All rights reserved. All 31 adventive moth species (Lepidoptera) newly established in New Zealand from 2001-2017 or newly identified in that time are discussed. Brief notes on first record in New Zealand, known distribution, biology and diagnostic characters of adults (and for some species larvae) are provided and all species are illustrated with colour photographs. Larval cases of Psychidae are also described and illustrated. The larva of Pantydia sparsa Guenée (Erebidae) is described and illustrated for the first time. Borkhausenia morella Hudson, 1939 (Oecophoridae), described from New Zealand, is newly synonymised with the Australian Opsitycha squalidella (Meyrick, 1884). Of the 31 species treated, 19 are known or strongly suspected to originate from Australia, 5 are of European/Palaearctic origin but likely to have come to New Zealand via Australia, where they are present, 4 are European/Palaearctic but not known from Australia, 2 are originally endemic to Norfolk Island and 1 is from North America. The families represented are: Tineidae (5 species), Psychidae (3 species), Glyphipterigidae (1 species), Coleophoridae (1 species), Oecophoridae (4 species), Depressariidae (1 species), Elachistidae (1 species), Cosmopterigidae (1 species), Blastobasidae (1 species), Gelechiidae (2 species), Tortricidae (1 species), Pyralidae (4 species), Crambidae (2 species), Geometridae (1 species), Noctuidae (2 species) and Erebidae (1 species). Feeding guilds of larvae (known or strongly suspected) are: detritivores (13 species), polyphagous herbivores (3 species), oligophagous monocot-feeding herbivores (5 species), oligophagous dicot-feeding herbivores (3 species), monophagous herbivores (4 species, one of these specialising on ferns). For the remaining 3 species (Microcolona sp. A, Ephestiopsis oenobarella (Meyrick) and Sigilliclystis insigillata (Walker)) the life-histories are unknown.