Pasiphila heighwayi

Pasiphila heighwayi is a moth in the family Geometridae. It was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1927. This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed on the Banks Peninsular and in North Canterbury. Larvae feed on the flowers of ''Veronica traversii.''

Taxonomy

This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1927 using specimens collected at Pukeatua Bush on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury by William Heighway and Stewart Lindsay in the last week of September. In 1928 George Hudson discussed this species under that name in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. In 1971 John S. Dugdale placed this species in the genus Pasiphila. The male holotype is held at the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.

Philpott described the adult male of this species as follows:

This species is endemic to New Zealand and has been observed on the Banks Peninsular as well as in the Waitohi River shrublands in North Canterbury. This species is regarded as being rare.

The larvae feed on the flowers of Veronica traversii.