Austrocidaria bipartita
Austrocidaria bipartita is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. It endemic to New Zealand. It was first described by Louis Beethoven Prout in 1958. This species is found throughout New Zealand and adults are on the wing all year round. Adults are nocturnal and are attracted to light. The larval host plants of this moth are species in the genus Coprosma.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Louis Beethoven Prout in 1958 as an aberration of the species Horisme anguligera. John S. Dugdale raised this moth to species level in 1988 on the basis that the colour pattern as well as the male genitalia of this species was distinctive. The male holotype, collected by W. George Howes in Wellington, is held at the Natural History Museum, London.Description
The larvae is grey in colour and has two raised areas on its abdominal segments.Prout first described the adult of this species as follows:
Although this species can be confused with A. anguligera it can be distinguished by studying the pattern below the middle of the forewing as it has a distinctive, dark tooth-like marking. The female of this species has an ochreous-brown wing colour with white markings.