Pasiphila halianthes
Pasiphila halianthes is a moth of the family Geometridae. It was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1907. This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed in both the North and South Island. It inhabits the upper edges of native forest on mountainsides. Larvae feed on the shoots and leaves of shrubs. Adults are variable in appearance but are regarded as being large in comparison to other species in this genus. They on the wing from November until April.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1907 using specimens collected on the mountains around the head of Lake Wakatipu at altitudes of between 3000 and 4000 ft by George Hudson. Meyrick originally named the species Chloroclystis halianthes. Hudson illustrated and discussed this species in his 1928 book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1914 Louis Beethoven Prout, thinking he was describing a new species, named this moth Chloroclystis rufulitincta. Meyrick synonymised this name in 1917. In 1971 John S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Pasiphila. The male lectotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.Description
Meyrick described this species as follows:This species is likely variable in appearance and is regarded as being a relatively large species in this genus.