Elachista sagittifera is a species of moth in the family Elachistidae. It was described by Alfred Philpott in 1927. It is endemic to New Zealand and is known from Arthur's Pass. It is similar in appearance to Elachista thallophora. Adults are on the wing in February.
| Elachista sagittifera | |
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| Illustration by George Hudson | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Elachistidae |
| Genus: | Elachista |
| Species: | E. sagittifera
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| Binomial name | |
| Elachista sagittifera | |
Taxonomy edit
This species was first described by Alfred Phipott in 1927 using specimens collected by himself and Stewart Lindsay at Arthur's Pass in February.[2][3] The holotype specimen is held in the Canterbury Museum.[4]
Description edit
Philpott originally described this species as follows:
♂. 11.5 mm. Head ochreous-whitewith medium brown stripe. Palpi white. Antennae greyish-fuscous. Thorax white, tegulae and medium stripe fuscous. Abdomen white mixed with fuscous. Legs ochreous-white mixed with fuscous. Forewings, costa almost straight, apex acute, termen extremely oblique; white; base of costa to 1⁄6 narrowly fuscous; a whitish-ochreous stripe along costa, broadest on basal 1⁄2 ; an ochreous stripe along fold to 2⁄5 ; an ochreous-fuscous stripe above fold, commencing about 1⁄3 and running to apex, where it becomes slightly dilated and blackish; a fuscous stripe along dorsum to tornus, thence continuing, but much paler, half way to apex; fringes pale ochreous-fuscous with black basal line round apex. Hindwings dark fuscous; fringes pale ochreous-fuscous.[2]
This species is similar in appearance to Elachista thallophora but differs in how the stripes are arranged on the forewings.[2]
Distribution edit
This species is endemic to New Zealand.[1][5] It is known from Arthur's Pass.[6]
Behaviour edit
Adults are on the wing in February.[2]
References edit
- ^ a b "Elachista sagittifera Philpott, 1927". www.nzor.org.nz. Retrieved 2021-11-07.
- ^ a b c d Alfred Philpott (15 August 1927). "Notes and Descriptions of New Zealand Lepidoptera". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 58: 84–85. ISSN 1176-6158. Wikidata Q107580217.
- ^ Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Elachista sagittifera". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
- ^ John Stewart Dugdale (23 September 1988). "Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa". Fauna of New Zealand. 14. Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: 112. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.14. ISSN 0111-5383. Wikidata Q45083134.
- ^ Savela, Markku, ed. (9 June 2020). "Elachista sagittifera Philpott, 1927". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ^ George Vernon Hudson (1939), A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand, Illustrator: George Hudson, Wellington: Ferguson and Osborn Limited, p. 458, OCLC 9742724, Wikidata Q109420935