bio.wikisort.org - Animal

Tingena paula is a species of moth in the family Oecophoridae.[2] It is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Canterbury. Adults of this species are on the wing in November.

Tingena paula
Male holotype
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Oecophoridae
Genus:	Tingena
Species:	T. paula
Binomial name
Tingena paula (Philpott, 1927)[1]
Synonyms[2]
Borkhausenia paula Philpott, 1927

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1927 using specimens collected by S. Lindsay at Pukeatua Bush, Banks Peninsula in November.[3] Philpott originally named the species Borkhausenia paula.[3] In 1928 George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand using the same name.[4] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species within the genus Tingena.[2] The male holotype is held in the Canterbury Museum.[2]

Description

Philpott described the species as follows:

♂. 11–12 mm. Head, palpi and thorax pale ivory-yellow. Antennae fuscous with pale dots, ciliations slightly more than 1. Abdomen dark purplish-grey. Legs ochreous-whitish mixed with pale brown. Forewings blunt lanceolate, costa moderately arched, apex round-pointed, termen very oblique; pale ivory-yellow; extreme edge of costa near base fuscous; fringes concolorous with wing. Hindwings dark fuscous: fringes greyish-fuscous: fringes greyish-fuscous with darker basal line.[3]

This species is small and is similar in appearance to T. maranta but has less pointed forewings.[3]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in Canterbury.[1][3] This species has also been found in a site of ecological significance in Christchurch as set out in the Christchurch District Plan.[5]

Behaviour

Adults of this species is on the wing in November.[3]

References

---