|
''Nyctemera annulata'', commonly known as the magpie moth, is a moth of the Arctiidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand and found in all parts of the country. The magpie moth’s ‘woolly bear’ caterpillars are around 35 - 38mm when fully grown and predominantly black with lines of red down its sides and back,〔〔 blue spots and tufts of hair on each segment.〔〔 Its liking for the introduced ragwort causes its caterpillars to be sometimes misidentified as those of the cinnabar moth which was introduced as a biological control for ragwort. By contrast cinnabar caterpillars have smooth bodies with alternating yellow and black rings.〔()〕 The adult moth has black wings with white markings on both the fore and hind wings. The forewings have two white spots that are more elongated while the hind wing only has a single spot near to the centre;〔〔 the wingspan is 35 - 45mm.〔〔〔Landcare Research. (1996). Magpie moth. Retrieved from: http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/animals/bug-id/taxonomic-list-of-bugs/lepidoptera/magpie-moth〕 The thorax and abdomen of the moth are black with bands of orange.〔 It is most active from September to June in the mornings and evenings where it can be seen flying over the tops of host plants.〔〔〔 The Magpie moth is diurnal which, coupled with its colourful markings means it is often mistaken for a butterfly.〔〔〔Waring, S. M. (2010). Apparent competition between native and exotic plants mediated by a native insect herbivore (Doctoral thesis, Lincoln University, 2010). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10182/4534〕 ''Nyctemera annulata'' is closely related to ''Nyctemera amica'', an Australian species which also occurs in New Zealand. The two species may be able to interbreed. ==Subspecies== *''Nyctemera annulata annulata'' (New Zealand) *''Nyctemera annulata antipodea'' Salmon & Bradley, 1956 (Antipodes Islands) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nyctemera annulata」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|