This species was first described in 1883 by Edward Meyrick using material collected by him on Ben Lomond near Lake Wakatipu in December. He named the species Pasithea paradelpha.[2][1] In 1884 Meyrick went on to give a more detailed description of the species.[3][4] In 1886 Meyrick renamed the genus to which he had previously assigned this species and placed it within the genus Notoreas.[5]George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species both in his 1898 book New Zealand Moths and Butterflies (Macro-lepidoptera) and in his 1928 book The Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand.[6][7]
The genus Notoreas was reviewed in 1986 by R. C. Craw and the placement of this species within it was confirmed.[8] However species within the genus Notoreas are currently regarded as being in need of revision.[9] The lectotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[4]
Description
Meyrick described the species as follows:
Male. — 21-23 mm. Forewings moderate, costa straight, hindmargin rounded; dark fuscous, densely and finely strewn with yellowish and a few whitish scales; a curved cloudy whitish line towards base, anteriorly blackish-margined; a slightly bent whitish line at 1⁄3, posteriorly blackish-margined; sometimes a small blackish discal dot, and slender curved median line; a clearly marked white line beyond middle, anteriorly strongly blackish-margined, shortly and obtusely angulated in middle, and inner margin shortly toothed above and below middle; an irregular sinuate subdentate whitish-yellowish subterminal line: cilia with basal half dark grey, apical half sharply barred with dark fuscous and white. Hindwings somewhat elongate, hindmargin rounded; dark fuscous; basal half irrorated with pale yellowish; a very obscure curved whitish shade before middle; a well-defined strongly-curved white median line; a very irregular subdentate whitish-yellowish subterminal line; cilia as in forewings.[3]
The female moth lays her eggs within the flower buds of their host plant.[14] When the larvae emerge from their eggs, they eat into the leaves or buds of their host, hiding from predators.[14] Once they are large enough, they emerge to feed from the fresh growth of the plant.[14]N. paradelpha pupate in a loose cocoon on the ground under their host.[14]N. paradelpha are day-flying moths.[14] They are low but fast flyers and constantly vibrate their wings to enable them to take off rapidly.[14]
Adults are on the wing from November to February.[3][6][13]
Habitat and host species
This moth species prefers to live in high alpine habitat and has been found amongst grass and in herbfields.[3][12] The host plants for the larvae of N. paradelpha are the endemic species in the genera Kelleria and Pimelea including Pimelia oreophila.[13][15]
^ abcdefPatrick, Brian (Autumn 2015). "Discovering New Zealand's gorgeous moths"(PDF). Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand. New Zealand: Butterflies and Moths of New Zealand Trust. p. 13. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
