The world’s thinnest caterpillar? A new genus and species of Batrachedridae (Lepidoptera) from Sporadanthus ferrugineus (Restionaceae), a threatened New Zealand plant
Robert Hoare A D , John Dugdale B and Corinne Watts CA Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand.
B Landcare Research, Private Bag 6, Nelson, New Zealand.
C Landcare Research, Private Bag 3127, Hamilton, New Zealand.
D Corresponding author. Email: hoarer@landcareresearch.co.nz
Invertebrate Systematics 20(5) 571-583 https://doi.org/10.1071/IS06009
Submitted: 13 March 2006 Accepted: 1 August 2006 Published: 12 October 2006
Abstract
Houdinia flexilissima, gen. nov., sp. nov. is described from peatlands in the North Island of New Zealand. The extremely narrow larvae mine and pupate in the living stems of Sporadanthus ferrugineus de Lange, Heenan & Clarkson, (Restionaceae), a large endemic rush. Eggs, larvae, pupae and adults are fully described and illustrated. The systematic placement of this autapomorphic taxon is discussed in detail, and it is assigned within Gelechioidea to Batrachedridae on the basis of characters shared with a taxon currently placed in Batrachedra. Because of its morphological distinctiveness, as well as threats to the habitat of its very local host plant, H. flexilissima, gen. nov., sp. nov. is considered a species of high conservation status.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Jo Berry for her identification of hymenopteran parasitoids associated with the new species. Alan Emmerson greatly assisted in the discovery of the first adult of H. flexilissima by kindly providing transport, sustenance and light-trapping equipment. Many thanks to Birgit Rhode for photographing the adults, scanning and composing all the figures. Thank you to the two anonymous referees for their valuable comments on an earlier version of this manuscript.
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