Tauroscopa gorgopis
Tauroscopa gorgopis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1888. This species is endemic to New Zealand and is found in the South Island. It inhabits rocky places on high mountains and is a day flying moth. Adults are variable in appearance and are commonly observed from December until February.
Taxonomy
This species was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1888 using a specimen collected at Mount Arthur at 4000 ft in January. In 1928 George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his book The butterflies and moths of New Zealand. Also in 1928 Alfred Philpott, thinking he was describing a new species, raised the form of this moth found in the Old Man Range to species level and named it Tauroscopa howesi. This species was synonymised by David Edward Gaskin in 1973. The male holotype is held at Natural History Museum, London.Description
Meyrick described the adult male of this species as follows:This species is variable in appearance with some specimens being smaller and darker than typical specimens.