NZ moths are special many whakatauki written about the Why we need to trap the moths? If something is changing in the I P E P H E A caterpillar and its capacity to eat. ecosystem, moths are amongst More than 86% of the known moths Who benefits from Moths are mainly out at night, so the first creatures to respond. They in NZ are endemic. They only occur most people don’t see how many studying moths? A more recent pest is the codling are likely to be good indicators of P in NZ so we have to look after there are or what’s happening I E P H E them. moth (Cydia pomonella). Introduced to them. Unfortunately we need change. Beginners’ Guide A . M from Europe, it attacks apples, Society T You & I specimens for identification. O T H N E pears, walnuts, and other fruit. What does that word mean? Why are moths important? to Macro Moths Why we need standardised data? Lepidoptera: moths and butterflies Moths are a key part of the wider Nature Moths have a bad reputation for ecosystem and they sit in the If we all use the same type of trap Endemic: found only in that place eating clothes, especially natural Te Rauawa M T centre of a complex food web. The (e.g. a Heath Moth Trap) we can Ecosystem: all biological and O T E fibres like wool, silk, and fur. In H N caterpillars are herbivores eating a compare data from different places physical processes in an area reality there are very few moth range of native plants. and over time. With standardised Food web: what eats what species whose caterpillars eat Education information we can all work Herbivores: animals that eat plants clothes. You can easily solve this Stories Where to get more information & help Many adult moths drink nectar together to keep an eye on the Nocturnal: active at night problem by putting the clothes in www.landcareresearch.co.nz/mothnet and are important pollinators. Knowledge moths. This way, if they start to Community: species in an area and out of the freezer a couple of Email: [email protected] Many of our native plants are likely Biosecurity decline we can see something is Te Takeka mai o te Pepe - Kā Whetū - The Stars times. Note 1. A new species to be described in @MothNetNZ The Origin of the Moth pollinated by moths. Moths go happening and work together to Hoare, R.J.B. in press. Noctuinae (Insecta: The story of the moth is told in the Appreciation MothNetNZ quietly about this critical job during take better care of the moths. Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) part 1: Austramathes, Tāne climbs to the highest stars of the Rēhua constellation. Puka Whakamārama o te Pepe Nui www.naturewatch.org.nz/ the night when most people are Music Cosmodes, Proteuxoa, Physetica. Fauna heaven to visit his brother, Rēhua. Rēhua, the eldest son of Raki and This guide contains only the most Entomological Society of New Zealand: sleeping, which means we often Kaitiakitaka Why we need quantitative data? of New Zealand. Name not nomenclaturally Rēhua calls for a fire to be lit and Papatūānuku, is the reddish star common larger moths in this large available from this guide. www.ento.org.nz overlook how important they are. Counting the number of individuals calabashes to be brought forth. Antares in the western Scorpius region. If you find a moth that is not Note 2. Wiseana mimica, W. jocosa, Acknowledgements Moths are a major food source of each species gives us more Tāne asks his brother “What will constellation. in this guide, this may be because W. cervinata, and W. fuliginea cannot be The text, content, and design are by the Ahi Pepe for other insects and native Pollination distinguished from W. copularis on the we be eating, brother?” At this, it is rare, a range extension (not information than just a list of the MothNet project partners: Dr Barbara J Anderson, basis of photos; see ‘Hepialidae’ by J.S. birds. Unfortunately, they are species present. This quantitative Komene Cassidy, Victoria Campbell, Dr Robert Hoare, Rēhua shakes his head and two Wairua Takata - normally found in this place), a Dugdale (Fauna of New Zealand, vol. 30) for also an important food source for Tiahuia Kawe-Small, Tahu MacKenzie, Dr Ralf Ohlemüller, kōkō fall from his hair. Tāne refuses ‘The Spirit of a Person’ ‘micro-moth’, an introduced species Ecosystem information helps to detect change identification keys and further information. introduced pests like mice, rats, and Tangiwai Rewi, Dr Priscilla Wehi and Emma Burns. to eat the birds as they have been or a new species. Please let us know. over time or between places. A common held belief was that the hedgehogs. Science Health Note 3. Aoraia species cannot readily be Illustrations are by Sean W Gilles. The moth list was compiled living in Rēhua’s hair and are tapu. spirits of those who had passed We need to distinguished based only on photos; see by Dr Robert Hoare, with help from Brian Patrick and NZ’s Tāne asks if he can return to earth We can use know what Why do we need to study moths? ‘Hepialidae’ by J.S. Dugdale (Fauna of New lepidopterist community. The moth images are photographs would be reincarnated as a moth. Moths can also be pests Zealand, vol. 30) for identification keys. with the birds. Rēhua agrees, and science to we have so Moths breed fast and have lots of by Birgit Rhode of specimens in the NZAC, taken with Hīhue (the kūmara moth, Agrius understand funding from the Terrestrial Freshwater Biodiversity says that the birds will live in the Moths are an important part of we can offspring. There are lots of different convolvuli) had a large impact ecosystem Information System (TFBIS) programme. trees, and feed on the fruits of the New Zealand’s biodiversity better moth species playing different roles trees. When Rēhua shook his head on kūmara crops and there are responses to in the ecosystem. Moths have links Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) protect it This guide was produced by Manaaki Whenua – other ‘birds’ also fell out: pēpepe, land-use change, to lots of other species (e.g. plants, Landcare Research as part of the Ahi Pepe MothNet are the third largest group of insects climate change project funded by the MBIE Unlocking Curious the moth; tātarakihi, the cicada; The more we know about birds, introduced pests, other in New Zealand (over 1750 named Minds initiative and Biological Heritage National pihareika, the grasshopper; and and light pollution Ecology invertebrates). species). Scientists estimate there things, the more we Science Challenge. kēkerewai, the beetle. Collectively are still more than 300 moth species appreciate their beauty and ISBN: 978-0-947525-32-3 (2017) these are known as ‘Kā Manu a Biogeography to be discovered and named in intrinsic value Rēhua’ and come out in summer. New Zealand. Taxonomy “When the pepetuna are in great numbers it is a good night for eeling” Tangiwai Rewi This work is licensed creative commons Attribution-nonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 new Zealand. To view details of this license go to www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/nz/ Ka hou ki te whenua, he tūkoukou; ka puta ki te raki he pepe – Te āwheto kai paeka – The caterpillar eats the leaf Me te upoko tūkoukou – like the chrysalis of the Sphinx moth I hikaina te ahi titi, engari i whakapoapoa kē i te pepe – He iti hoki te mokoroa, nāna i kakati te Kahikatea – The pupa enters the Earth, a moth emerges to the sky (Said of someone who goes around tasting various dishes) (When likening something to especially fine weaving) The fire was lit to attract the mutton birds and the moths flew into it – Te Whiti o Rongomai Although the mokoroa is small it attacks the Kahikatea Geometridae Noctuidae A u s tro i aria o iata P a iphila tes t lata Xanthorhoe semifissata M etera a lev i Graphania ustistriga Agrotis ipsilon ‘Aletia’ cuneata ‘Aletia’ moderata I s c hali aria ili P oec ila then a p l hraria P oe ila then a c hi taria ‘ X a thorhoe o c u lta A u s tro i aria parora A u s tro i aria imilata ‘Chloroclystis’ filata C hala tra pell r ata C leora c riptaria M etera a merope Meterana ochthistis ‘Aletia’ virescens C o mo es ele a s Dipaustica epiastra E l ia la c ata E pi y me r b rop n c taria E piphry n e n d o ata P s e d o oremia le c elaea P s eu d o oremia mo a ha Tato oma le tev ata Tatosoma tipulata Tato oma tra s itaria Declana floccosa M etera a pa c a Physetica caerulea F ere a ia rami o a G rapha ia c hloro o ta Helastia cinerearia E piphry n e erri u lata E py a a l c i ata P s e d o oremia pro u c tata X y ri a ma ero i ae D e la a g ri eata Declana junctilinea X y ri a ma ale toraria P er ec ta ia a er a Physetica phricias P rote x oa a g u i ip n c ta E py a a en ip n c tata E py a a ro earia Graphania agorastis G rapha ia i f en s a G rapha ia li n a a Pseudocoremia indistincta D e la a hermio e P rote x oa tetro y c ha1 Tmetolophota atri tri a D e la a leptomera Helastia corcularia Helastia cymozeucta Homodotis megaspilata G rapha ia i s i n i X y ri a ma s taria S ari a m ri erata P s eu d o oremia u a i Hepialidae Tmetolophota propria Tmetolophota p r ii Tmetolophota semivittata ‘ H y d riome a eltoi ata ‘ H y d riomen a’ rix ata M i ro e u a ri tri ata G ello ia ej e taria G rapha ia m ta s G rapha ia sp.