Austrocidaria praerupta
Austrocidaria praerupta, also known as the mountain Coprosma carpet moth, is a species of moth of the family Geometridae. It endemic to New Zealand and is found in the South Island. This moth is associated with plant species in the genus Coprosma and adults are on the wing in November and December.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1918 using a specimen collected on Mount Cleughearn in the Hunter Mountains in Fiordland. Philpott originally named this species Hydriomena praerupta. In 1928 George Hudson discussed this species as a synonym of Hydriomena callichlora. Later in 1928 Philpott disagreed with this synonymisation and discussed this species under the name H. praerupta. In 1943 W. George Howes agreed with Philpott that H. praerupta should be treated as a distinct species. Hudson subsequently accepted this in his 1950 publication. Despite this the taxonomic status of this species is still in doubt and requires further investigation. In 1971 John S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Austrocidaria. The male holotype specimen is held in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.Description
Philpott described this species as follows:Philpott points out that this species is very similar in appearance to Hydriomena callichlora but at it can be distinguished by the pale apical area, the more dentate subterminal line, and the stronger projection of the posterior margin of the median band on its forewings.