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.
Taxonomy
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
Illustration of a male M. aphrosticha by George Hudson.
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]
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