Global InformationIchneutica arotis information
| Ichneutica arotis | |
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Noctuidae |
| Genus: | Ichneutica |
| Species: | I. arotis
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| Binomial name | |
| Ichneutica arotis (Meyrick, 1887)[1]
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| Synonyms[2] | |
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Ichneutica arotis is a moth of the family Noctuidae.[1] It is endemic to New Zealand. This species is found throughout the North and South Islands but has yet to be recorded on Stewart Island. I. arotis is variable in appearance and have been described as having a "northern dark form", a "typical" form and a "swamp" form. Robert Hoare hypothesised that this species may be in the process of evolving into several distinct species. However, as these forms show no difference in antennae or genitalia so, as at 2019, they are not regarded as separate species. Larval hosts include species in the genera Cortaderia and Schoenus as well as Phormium tenax. The caterpillar feeds at night and rests in during the day amongst dead flax leaves. It pupates in a loose cocoon either hidden at the base of a stem of flax or on the ground. The adults of this species is on the wing from September to April. In the North Island there have also been records of adults being on the wing in June to August.
I. arotis can be confused with I. blenheimensis, I. theobroma, or I. epiastra, and the female of I. arotis can possibly be confused with the female of I. cornuta. I. blenheimensis can be distinguished as even when worn and pale it has blackish forewing fringes that I. arotis lack. I. theobroma might possibly be confused with the "northern dark" form of I. arotis but can be distinguished as I. theobroma has broader wings and doesn't have the pale markings on the forewing that the "northern dark" form of I. arotis has. I. epiastra can be distinguished as it has an obvious row of black dots along the outer margin of the wing where as I. arotis is either lacks these marks or has brown dashes. The female I. arotis can be distinguished from the female I. cornuta as the former normally has dark scales on the thorax.
- ^ a b "Ichneutica arotis (Meyrick, 1887)". www.nzor.org.nz. 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-01.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Hoare2019was invoked but never defined (see the help page).