Declana floccosa

Declana floccosa
Male specimen
Female specimen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Declana
Species:
D. floccosa
Binomial name
Declana floccosa
Walker, 1858
Synonyms
  • Declana scabra Walker, 1863
  • Declana nigrosparsa Butler, 1879
  • Declana callista Salmon, 1946

Declana floccosa, the forest semilooper or manuka moth is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand. It was first described by Francis Walker in 1863 using specimens obtained from Colonel Bolton.

The wingspan of this species is 27–35 mm and is extremely variable in colour and patterning.

The larvae feed on a wide range of native and exotic broad-leaved and coniferous shrubs and trees. Exotic hosts include Pinus radiata and other Pinus species, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Larix and Eucalyptus. Native hosts include Muehlenbeckia australis.

Adults are attracted to light and have been collected via a mercury vapour light trap.

Population decline and recovery

A longitudinal study from 1974 to 2016 indicated the population of this moth declined sharply in the study area in the mid-1980s but began to recover in the late 1990s. It has been hypothesised that the arrival of Vespula vulgaris in New Zealand might be the cause of the population decline. It was also hypothesised that the recovery in population may have been brought about as a result of the extended emergence period of this moth which gave those moths emerging later in the season the ability to avoid predation by wasps.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Declana floccosa Walker, 1858". www.nzor.org.nz. Landcare Research New Zealand. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  2. ↑ Walker, Francis (1858). "Noctuidae". List of the Specimens of Lepidopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. 15: 1521–1888 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. 1 2 "Declana floccosa, forest semilooper". www.nzffa.org.nz. New Zealand Farm Forestry Association. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  4. ↑ Hudson, George Vernon (1888). "On the varieties of a common moth (Declana floccosa)". Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 21: 190–193 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  5. 1 2 3 4 John E. C. Flux; Meg M. Flux (2019). "Polymorph stability, and changed flight period, of Declana floccosa Walker, 1858 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) in New Zealand, 1974–2016". New Zealand Entomologist. 42 (2): 100–109. doi:10.1080/00779962.2019.1676134. Wikidata Q105348997. {{Cite Q}}: Missing first/last names in Wikidata for John E. C. Flux, Meg M. Flux (help)
  6. ↑ "PlantSynz - Invertebrate herbivore biodiversity assessment tool: Database". plant-synz.landcareresearch.co.nz. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  7. ↑ Patrick, Brian (18 May 2016). "Ecological importance of Muehlenbeckia australis/Pohuehue". www.openspace.org.nz. Archived from the original on 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2017-02-07.
  8. ↑ Patrick, Brian; Archibald, Robert Drummond (1988). "Lepidoptera light-trapped at Owaka, South Otago". New Zealand Entomologist. 11 (1): 70–72. doi:10.1080/00779962.1988.9722541. Wikidata Q105740584.