Proteuxoa comma

Proteuxoa comma
	Male
	Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Noctuidae
Genus:	Proteuxoa
Species:	P. comma
Binomial name
	Proteuxoa comma; (Walker, 1856)
Synonyms[1]
	Mamestra comma Walker, 1856 ; Graphiphoga implexa Walker, 1857 ; Hadena plusiata Walker, 1865 ; Nitocris bicomma Guenée, 1868 ;

Proteuxoa comma is a species of moth in the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species is very similar in appearance to P. tetronycha.

Taxonomy

This species was originally described by Francis Walker in 1856 and named Mamestra comma.[2][1]

Description

Francis Walker described the species as follows:

Female. Cinereous. Head whitish. Palpi with whitish tips. Thorax and fore wings sprinkled with brown. Fore wings with brown transverse undulating or zigzag lines. Hind wings paler towards the base. Length of the body 6 lines ; of the wings 16 lines.[2]

The species can be distinguished from P. tetronycha as the P. comma has a less contrasting prothoracic collar and a more grey forewing ground colour.[1] P. comma also has a narrower winged appearance than P. tetronycha.[1] P. comma is also slightly larger than P. tetronycha.[1] If wingspan of a specimen is above 33mm then the species is P. comma.[1]

Distribution

This species is endemic to New Zealand.[3]

References

Hoare, R. J. B. (22 June 2017). "Noctuinae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) part 1: Austramathes, Cosmodes, Proteuxoa, Physetica" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 73: 33–35. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.73 – via Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research.
Walker, Francis (1854). "IX: Noctuidae". List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. pt. 9: 1–252 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
"Proteuxoa comma (Walker, 1856)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand. Retrieved 2018-06-18.

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[:1-1] Hoare, R. J. B. (22 June 2017). "Noctuinae (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) part 1: Austramathes, Cosmodes, Proteuxoa, Physetica" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 73: 33–35. doi:10.7931/J2/FNZ.73 – via Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research.

[:0-2] Walker, Francis (1854). "IX: Noctuidae". List of the specimens of lepidopterous insects in the collection of the British Museum. pt. 9: 1–252 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.

[3] "Proteuxoa comma (Walker, 1856)". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand. Retrieved 2018-06-18.