Hoare, R. J. B. 2005: Hierodoris (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechoidea: Oecophoridae), and overview of Oecophoridae. Fauna of New Zealand 54, 100 pp. EDITORIAL BOARD REPRESENTATIVES OF L ANDCARE R ESEARCH Dr D. Penman Landcare Research Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand Dr R. J. B. Hoare Landcare Research Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand REPRESENTATIVE OF UNIVERSITIES Dr R.M. Emberson c/- Bio-Protection and Ecology Division P.O. Box 84, Lincoln University, New Zealand REPRESENTATIVE OF M USEUMS Mr R.L. Palma Natural Environment Department Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa P.O. Box 467, Wellington, New Zealand REPRESENTATIVE OF OVERSEAS I NSTITUTIONS Dr M. J. Fletcher Director of the Collections NSW Agricultural Scientific Collections Unit Forest Road, Orange NSW 2800, Australia * * * SERIES EDITOR Dr T. K. Crosby Landcare Research Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand Fauna of New Zealand Ko te Aitanga Pepeke o Aotearoa Number / Nama 54 Hierodoris (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae), and overview of Oecophoridae Robert J. B. Hoare Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand [email protected] Manaaki W h e n u a PRESS Lincoln, Canterbury, New Zealand 2005 4 Hoare (2005): Hierodoris (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae) Copyright © Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd 2005 No part of this work covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping information retrieval systems, or otherwise) without the written permission of the publisher. Cataloguing in publication Hoare, Robert J. B. Hierodoris (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae), and overview of Oecophoridae / Robert J.B. Hoare. — Lincoln, Canterbury, N.Z. : Manaaki Whenua Press, 2005. (Fauna of New Zealand, ISSN 0111-5383 ; no. 54) ISBN 0-478-09378-0 1. Oecophoridae — New Zealand. 2. Oecophoridae — New Zealand — Classification. I. Title. II. Series. UDC 595.782(931) Suggested citation: Hoare, R. J. B. 2005. Hierodoris (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae), and overview of Oecophoridae. Fauna of New Zealand 54, 102 pp. Prepared for publication by the series editor and the authors using computer-based text processing, layout, and printing at Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, New Zealand. M~ori text by H. Jacob, Auckland. Published by Manaaki Whenua Press, Landcare Research, P.O. Box 40, Lincoln, Canterbury, N.Z. Website: http://www.mwpress.co.nz/ Printed by PrintLink Ltd, Wellington Front cover: Hierodoris tygris n. sp., paratype female (Photographer: M. Heffner). Publication of the Fauna of New Zealand series is the result of a research investment by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology under contract number C09X0501. Fauna of New Zealand 54 5 POPULAR SUMMARY HE WHAKARAPOPOTOTANGA Class Insecta Order Lepidoptera Superfamily Gelechioidea Family Oecophoridae Genus Hierodoris Meyrick Oecophorid moths Oecophoridae are an unusual family of small moths that occur throughout the world. Whilst most moth caterpillars Illustration / Whakaahua: Hierodoris illita (Illustrator / feed on the living leaves of plants, the caterpillars of Kaiwhakaahua: D. W. Helmore). Oecophoridae usually feed on the dead leaves in the leaf- litter on the forest floor, or in dead wood. More than 4000 species of Oecophoridae are known worldwide, but most of these (over 3000) occur only in Australia, where many ~ ã ‘ species have adapted to feed on the abundant resource of Ng p r hua Oecophorid dead eucalyptus leaves. Adult oecophorid moths are often He wh~nau pãr‘hua pakupaku a Oecophoridae ka kitea i very dull in colour, their various shades of brown helping ng~ tÇpito katoa o te ao. He wh~nau ~hua rerek‘ anÇ hoki, to conceal them from birds (and entomologists) as they i te mea kai ai te nuinga o ng~ torongã pãr‘hua i ng~ rau rest amongst dead vegetation or on tree-trunks by day. ora, engari ko t~ ng~ torongã Oecophoridae, he kai i ng~ However, even these brown species are often attractively rau mate e takoto ana i ng~ otaota i te papa o te ngahere, he speckled or patterned, whilst other species, especially those kai r~nei i ng~ r~kau kua mate. He nui ake i te 4000 ng~ that mimic lichen, are extremely beautiful. It is difficult to momo Oecophoridae e mÇhiotia ana huri i te ao, engari ko tell oecophorids apart from other small moths, but most te nuinga (neke atu i te 3000), kei Ahitereiria anake. He New Zealand species have rather broad wings, a wingspan maha ng~ momo kua urutau kia pau ai i a r~tou ng~ rau of between 10 and 35 mm, and the labial palpi (mouthparts mate o ng~ purukamu e rangea ana te tipu i taua whenua. that lie either side of the tongue or proboscis) are curved Ka pakeke ana, he matahunahuna te maha atu o ng~ momo up and back over the front of the head. pãr‘hua oecophorid – mai i te parauri tea ki te parauri New Zealand has a diverse and interesting fauna of uriuri te tae, kia kore ai r~tou e tere kitea e te manu (e te Oecophoridae, containing well over 200 species. This kaim~tai pepeke r~nei) i a r~tou e noho ana ki ng~ otaota, compares with only 86 species in the whole of the former i runga r~nei i te kahiwi r~kau i te awatea. Engari h~unga U.S.S.R., an area about 80 times as great as New Zealand. anÇ ng~ momo parauri, he ~taahua tonu te kÇtingotingo Probably the abundance of leaf-litter and dead wood in me ‘r~ atu tauira o runga. Ar~ anÇ ‘tahi momo in~ k‘ te New Zealand’s ancient evergreen forests over millions of ~taahua, tae atu ki ‘r~ ka whai kia rite ki te hawa whai hoa years has aided in the evolution of such a large number of pãkohuwai tÇ r~tou ~hua. Ki te titiro kau, he uaua te oecophorid species. Most New Zealand Oecophoridae have wehewehe i ng~ oecophorid i ‘r~ atu momo pãr‘hua not been studied in detail since the 1920s, and only two pakupaku, engari he wh~nui tonu ng~ parirau o te nuinga new species have been scientifically described in the last o ng~ momo o Aotearoa, ~, kei te 10 ki te 35 mm te tawhiti 50 years. However, we know of many other unnamed mai i te pito o t‘tahi parirau ki t‘tahi. Waihoki, ko ng~ species in collections, and 8 of these are described in this hihip~ i te taha o te waha, e piko whakarunga ana ki tua o book. te rae. (continued overleaf) (haere tonu) 6 Hoare (2005): Hierodoris (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea: Oecophoridae) The genus Hierodoris probably belongs to an ancient He matahuhua te wh~nau Oecophoridae i Aotearoa – lineage, and only occurs in New Zealand. The 18 species neke atu i te 200 ng~ momo. E 86 noa ng~ momo i te are very varied in size and coloration, and some are very whenua i k§ia r~ ko te U.S.S.R. i mua, ahakoa e 80 attractive, with metallic shining scales on their wings. Their whakaraunga pea tÇna rahi ake i Aotearoa. T‘r~ tonu pea caterpillars are also varied in their habits: some feed inside ko te nui o popo, o hanehane i te wao nui a T~ne i roto i the twigs of trees or shrubs, for example tutu (Coriaria) or ng~ miriona tau t‘tahi take i huhua ai ng~ momo oecophorid beech (Nothofagus); others on seedheads or leaf-tomentum i tÇ r~tou kunenga mai i Aotearoa. NÇ ng~ tau o ng~ 1920 of plants in the daisy family (Celmisia and Pachystegia); te rangahautanga whakamutunga o te nuinga o ng~ momo one has gregarious larvae that bunch together the twigs of Oecophoridae o Aotearoa, ka mutu, e rua anake kua ~ta conifers, manuka, kanuka, or tauhinu with silk, and feed on whakaahuatia i runga i ng~ tikanga pãtaiao i te 50 tau ka the dying leaves inside the spinning. There are several taha. Heoi anÇ, ar~ ‘tahi atu momo maha k~ore anÇ kia species whose life-history we do not know, and five species whakaingoatia e mau mai ana ki ‘tahi kohinga, ~, e 8 o ‘nei that are known from very few specimens, and may possibly e whakaahuatia ana i t‘nei pukapuka. be threatened. E whakapaetia ana nÇ t‘tahi k~wai o tua whakarere te One rare and particularly interesting species of puninga Hierodoris, ka mutu, ko Aotearoa anake tana Hierodoris, H. stella, imitates a bug. The antennae are k~inga. He tino rerek‘ ng~ momo 18, t‘tahi i t‘tahi, mÇ te thickened with scales and look like the bug’s antennae, and w~hi ki te rahi me te tae; he tino ~taahua ‘tahi, in~ he ~hua the wing-tips are bent downwards in the manner of the konumohe, he p§ataata ng~ unahi i Ç r~tou parirau. He bug’s wings. The bug is thought to be distasteful to birds, rerek‘ anÇ t~ ng~ torongã noho ki te ao, t‘tahi i t‘tahi: ka so probably the moth has evolved its mimicry to avoid pau i ‘tahi a roto o ng~ r~r~ te kai. Ko ng~ r~r~ o te tutu being eaten. (Coriaria) me te tawai (Nothofagus) ka p‘r~tia. Ko ‘tahi anÇ ka kai i runga i ng~ pãk~kano, i ng~ hune r~nei o ng~ rau o ng~ tipu o te wh~nau daisy Celmisia and Pachystegia); he noho ~-k~hui anÇ t‘tahi momo, ko t~ Contributor Robert Hoare was born in Winchester in the r~tou, he k~pui i ng~ r~r~ o ng~ r~kau whai koro§, te m~nuka, south of England.