Hierodoris iophanes
Hierodoris iophanes is a moth of the family Oecophoridae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1912. This species can be distinguished from others in its genus by the purple metallic colouration as well as the blue-white mark on its forewings. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it has been recorded from Auckland to Southland. This species inhabits native forest or scrub, with the adults preferring open glades. They are known to be on the wing from November until February and fly during daylight hours, being active on hot sunny days. Larvae feed on the interior of twigs of Prumnopitys ferruginea. The twigs had evidence of oviposition scars of cicadas and the larvae were collected in October after reddish-brown frass indicated their location within the twigs.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1912 using a specimen collected in Wellington by George Hudson. It is the type species of the genus Hierodoris. Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. The male holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.Description
Meyrick described the species as follows:The wingspan is 11.5–14 mm for males and 12 mm for females. The forewings are blackish bronze, with a dark metallic purple basal blotch and transverse fasciae. The termen is reflecting purple with a line of bluish white scales from the costa to below the fold. There is a white dot in the disc and the hindwings are blackish brown. This species can be distinguished from others in its genus by the purple metallic colouration as well as the blue-white mark on its forewings.