Dichromodes niger
Dichromodes niger is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1877. This species is endemic to New Zealand and can be found in the lower part of the South Island and upper half of the North Island. It inhabits rocky sites or forest clearings. The larvae feed on lichen. Adults are day flying, are rapid fliers, and are on the wing from November until January.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1877 using a male specimen collected at Castle Hill by J. D. Enys and named Cacopsodos niger. In 1888 Edward Meyrick place this species within the genus Dichromodes and discussed this species using the name Dichromodes nigra. He compared it to the newly described D. gypsotis stating that D. niger was "markedly larger, blackish, without any white suffusion, the markings obsoletely darker." George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species under the name Cacopsodes nigra in both his 1898 book New Zealand moths and butterflies and his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1988 J. S. Dugdale stated that the species name was Dichromodes niger. Robert J. B. Hoare discussed this species in 2016 and pointed out that the genus Dichromodes was described using Australian species whose larvae feed on the leaves of Myrtaceous plants. He raised the possibility that as D. niger larvae feed on lichens it is possible this species may be misplaced. The male holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.Description
Butler described this species as follows:Hudson described this species as follows: