Eudonia oreas
Eudonia oreas is a moth in the family Crambidae. This species was named by Edward Meyrick in 1884. It is endemic to New Zealand and is only found in the Otago region of the South Island. It inhabits the high alpine zone throughout Otago and can also be found in low lying areas around Dunedin. The adults and larvae have been found on rock faces. Adults are recorded as being on the wing in December.
Taxonomy
This species was named by Edward Meyrick in 1884 using a specimen collected at Ben Lomond near Lake Wakatipu at an altitude of 5000 ft and originally named Scoparia oreas. Meyrick went on to give a full description of the species in 1885. George Hudson discussed this species in his 1928 publication The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1988 John S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Eudonia. The holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.Description
Meyrick described this species as follows:This species is similar in appearance to Eudonia philerga but can be distinguished as E. oreas has longer and narrower forewings, whiteish hindwings, as well as the longer ciliations on the antennae.