Declana egregia

Declana egregia, commonly called the South Island lichen moth or zebra lichen moth, is a moth in the family Geometridae, endemic to New Zealand.[1] This species was first described by entomologists Baron Cajetan von Felder and Alois Friedrich Rogenhofer in 1875 under the name Chlenias egregia.[2]

Declana egregia
Male specimen
Female specimen
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Lepidoptera
Family:
Geometridae
Genus:
Declana
Species:
D. egregia
Binomial name
Declana egregia
(Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875)
Synonyms[1]
  • Chlenias egregia Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875

This species resembles the North Island lichen moth but has fewer and coarser wing markings. It is found only in the South Island and Stewart Island.

The caterpillars of Declana egregia feed in summer on Pseudopanax species, especially five-finger (Pseudopanax arboreus), mountain five-finger (P. colensoi), and lancewood (P. crassifolius).[3][4] They are well-camouflaged, resembling a small bird-dropping when young and a Pseudopanax fruit when older. Larger larvae, up to 30 mm long, look like lichen-covered twigs and hold themselves stiffly out from the host plant by their prolegs.[4] The moth overwinters as a pupa on the forest floor, in a loosely-spun cocoon encrusted with dirt.[4]

The South Island lichen moth appears on the New Zealand $100 note alongside a mōhua, with a backdrop of Fiordland National Park.[3]

References
  1. "Declana egregia (Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
  2. Felder, Cajetan; Rogenhofer, Alois Friedrich (1864–1867). "Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara". Reise der österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859 unter den Befehlen des Commodore B. von W. pt.9:Bd.2:Abt.2 (1864-1867) Atlas: cxxxi fig 24 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. Crowe, Andrew (2002). Which New Zealand Insect?. Auckland: Penguin. p. 22. ISBN 0141006366.
  4. Early, John (2009). Know Your New Zealand...Native Insects and Spiders. Auckland: New Holland. pp. 138–139. ISBN 9781869662530.
  • The South Island lichen moth discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week 27 Oct 2017


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