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Tingena oxyina is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae.[2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the Otago region. This species inhabits native beech forest at altitudes of between 1000 - 3000 ft. Adults of this species are on the wing in January.

Tingena oxyina
Male lectotype
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Oecophoridae
Genus:	Tingena
Species:	T. oxyina
Binomial name
Tingena oxyina (Meyrick, 1883)[1]
Synonyms[2]
Cremnogenes oxyina Meyrick, 1883 Borkhausenia oxyina (Meyrick, 1883)

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1883 using specimens collected at Lake Wakatipu and named Cremnogenes oxyina.[3][4] Meyrick went on to give a more detailed description in 1884.[4] In 1915 Meyrick placed this species within the Borkhausenia genus.[5] In 1926 Alfred Philpott studied the genitalia of the male of this species.[6] George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under the name B. oxyina in his 1928 publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand.[7] The illustration by George Hudson, as figured below, was regarded by J. S. Dugdale as a pale representation of the species.[2] In 1988 Dugdale placed this species in the genus Tingena.[2] The male lectotype is held at the Natural History Museum, London.[2]

Description

Meyrick first described this species as follows:

Fore wings in male dark fuscous mixed with ferruginous, in female reddish-ochreous, sometimes with a pale indented dorsal streak, a spot beneath fold and discal dot blackish ; hind wings dark fuscous.[3]

Meyrick gave a more detailed description as follows:

Male, female.— 13–15 mm (0.5–0.6 in). Head, palpi, antennae, thorax, and abdomen dark fuscous, slightly ochreous-tinged ; thorax with a small sharply-defined ochreous-whitish lateral spot. Legs dark fuscous-grey. Forewings in male elongate, in female rather shorter, costa moderately arched, apex pointed, hindmargin slightly sinuate, extremely oblique ; dark fuscous, mixed and suffused with reddish-ochreous or ferruginous, in female almost wholly reddish-ochreous, becoming deeper along fold ; an ochreous-whitish, often indistinct or obsolete, streak along inner margin from base to 3⁄4, attenuated posteriorly, upper margin deeply dentate before middle, indentation filled with a small black spot ; a dark fuscous dot in disc beyond middle, in male obscure ; a curved transverse dark fuscous line near hindmargin, often obsolete : cilia in male ferruginous mixed with dark fuscous, in female reddish-ochreous, lighter towards tips. Hindwings dark fuscous-grey ; with a dark fuscous line near base.[4]

Meyrick stated that this species could be distinguished from its close relatives by its reddish-ochreous colouring and that the female of this species was very similar in appearance to the larger T. phegophylla.[4]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in the Otago region.[1][3][8]

Behaviour

Adults of this species are on the wing in January.[4]

Habitat

This species has been observed in Nothofagus solandri dominant native beech forest at altitudes of between 1000 - 3000 ft.[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tingena oxyina.

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