Species Psilosticha mactaria (Guenée, 1857)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Tephrosia mactaria Guenée, A. in Boisduval, J.-A.& Guenée, A. (eds) 1857. Histoire naturelle des insectes : Species général des Lépidoptères Hétérocères. Paris : Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret, Vol. 9. [270].

  Type data:

   Holotype MNHNN ♀, Nouvelle-Hollande [Australia].
• Boarmia atycta Turner, A.J. 1926. New and little-known Tasmanian Lepidoptera. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania 1925: 81-117 [98].

  Type data:

   Holotype ANIC ♀, [Australia]: Tasmania, Lake Fenton, 3500ft.

Introduction

P. mactaria occurs in two forms. The larger form inhabits high altitude including sub-alpine areas where the larvae have been recorded feeding on Hakea lissosperma R. Br. and H. microcarpa R. Br. (Proteaceae). Adults are medium-sized moths and resemble boarmiines superficially. Wings are triangular, and both forewings and hindwings are similarly cryptically patterned with white irrorated with grey. The moths rest with wings flattened on to the substrate with both fore- and hind-wings exposed. Moths of lower altitude populations are found in dry sclerophyll forests where the larvae feed on the legume Pultenaea juniperina Labill. (Young 2006a).

This species most likely belongs to the Macariini on the basis of molecular and morphological characters (Young 2006a). The presence of sub-apical horns on the uncus of the male genitalia is strong evidence that P. mactaria is a macariine, although the species lacks other typical macariine feature i.e. divided valvae, large chaetosemata and a cleft, excavated or emarginate sternum eight (Scoble & Krüger 2002). It is also likely that Psilosticha is polyphyletic as the genitalia of P. prisitis are typically boarmiine (Young 2006a).

Evidence for the placement of P. mactaria into the Macariini is also apparent from egg morphology. The eggs greatly resemble those of the Australian macariines ‘Boarmia’ penthearia Guenée, Dissomorphia australiaria and Parosteodes Warren and share few common features with described boarmiine eggs (Young 2006b).

Ecological Descriptors

Caterpillar: herbivore (associated flora: Pultenaea juniperina R. Br. [FABACEAE] Prickly Beauty, Prickly Bush-pea; Hakea lissosperma R. Br. [PROTEACEAE] needle bush; Hakea microcarpa R. Br. [PROTEACEAE] small-fruit Hakea).

Associated Flora References

Young, C.J. 2006. Molecular relationships of the Australian Ennominae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) and implications for the phylogeny of the Geometridae from molecular and morphological data. Zootaxa 1264: 1–147 [52] (Pultenaea juniperina; Hakea microcarpa; Hakea lissosperma)

General References

Scoble, M.J. & Krüger, M. 2002. A review of the genera of Macariini with a revised classification of the tribe (Geometridae: Ennominae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 134: 257-315

Young, C.J. 2006. Molecular relationships of the Australian Ennominae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) and implications for the phylogeny of the Geometridae from molecular and morphological data. Zootaxa 1264: 1-147 [52]

Young, C.J. 2006b. Descriptions of the eggs of some southern Australian Geometridae (Lepidoptera). Zootaxa 1287: 294 pp.

History of changes