the philippine butterflyfish , chaetodon adiergastos , is a species of butterflyfish ( family chaetodontidae ) .

it is found in the western pacific , from the ryukyu islands and taiwan to java and northwestern australia .

it grows to a maximum length of 20 cm ( nearly 8 in ) .

the body is white with diagonal brown stripes on the sides .

the dorsal , caudal , anal and pelvic fins are yellow .

there are rounded broad black bands on the face , covering the eye , but not continuous from one side of the body to the other but with a separate black spot centered on the forehead .

it belongs to the large subgenus rabdophorus which might warrant recognition as a distinct genus .

in this group , it appears to belong to a loose group including such species as the black butterflyfish ( c. flavirostris ) , diagonal butterflyfish ( c. fasciatus ) , raccoon butterflyfish ( c. lunula ) and perhaps also the unusual red-tailed butterflyfish ( c. collare ) .

although the coloration of this group varies quite a lot , they are all largish butterflyfishes with an oval outline , and most have a pattern of ascending oblique stripes on the flanks .

except in the red-tailed butterflyfish , there is at least a vestigial form of the " raccoon " mask , with a white space between the dark crown and eye areas .

the philippine butterflyfish is found in coral reefs at depths of 1-30m and occurs in pairs or groups , usually near soft coral .

juveniles are solitary and found on shallow protected reefs or in estuaries .

philippine butterflyfish

philippine butterflyfish at a depth of 11 m , muiron islands , ningaloo reef , western australia , 26 april 2009 .
other species , besides c . ephippium , that i consider moderately difficult to maintain include the copper - banded butterflyfish ( chelmon rostratus ) , the big long - nosed butterflyfish ( forcipiger longirostris ) , the philippine butterflyfish ( chaetodon adiergastos ) , the red sea raccoon butterflyfish ( c . fasciatus ) , the dusky butterflyfish ( c . flavirostris ) , the bluestripe butterflyfish ( c . fremblii ) , the dot - and - dash butterflyfish ( c . pelewensis ) , merten’s pearl - scaled butterflyfish ( c . mertensii ) , the latticed butterflyfish ( c . rafflesi ) , the dotted butterflyfish ( c . semeion ) , the golden butterflyfish ( c . semilarvatus ) and the crowned pearl - scaled butterflyfish ( c . xanthurus ) . i would only recommend these species to those aquarists who are more experienced .
a philippine butterflyfish at a depth of 11 m , muiron islands , ningaloo reef , western australia , 26 april 2009 .
a philippine butterflyfish , chaetodon adiergastos , at tulamben , bali , indonesia . source : ian v . shaw / reef life survey . license : cc by attribution
seale , a . 1910 . descriptions of four new species of fishes from bantayan island , philippine archipelago . philippine journal of science 5 ( 2 ) : 115 - 118 figs 1 - 2
) as possible tank residents . which butterflyfish would be the easiest to maintain ? any suggestions would be very helpful .
bank’s butterflyfish ( c . aya ) , the brazilian long - nosed butterflyfish ( chaetodon sp . ) and tinker’s butterflyfish ( c . tinkeri ) are also very hardy species , but unfortunately , they are rarely found in aquarium stores and command a high price when available . i hope this gives you enough insight to be able to responsibly select a butterflyfish for your aquarium , and i hope more aquarists are as thoughtful as you are when it comes to making such decisions !
chaetodon adiergastos seale , 1910 , philippine j . sci . 5 ( 2 ) : 116 . type locality : bantayan island , philippines
i appreciate the fact that you’re investigating butterflyfish hardiness before going out to purchase one of these beautiful fish . there are about 120 species in 10 genera in the butterflyfish family ( chaetodontidae ) , but i would only consider a handful of these to be suitable for the beginner .
seale , a . 1910 . descriptions of four new species of fishes from bantayan island , philippine archipelago . philipp . j . sci . 5 ( 2 ) : 115 - 119 .
although feeding behavior is the main factor to consider when choosing a butterflyfish for your tank , some species are also more susceptible to poor water quality , aggressive tankmates and disease . in some species , we also find significant differences in hardiness between individuals . for example , i have had saddlebacked butterflyfish ( chaetodon ephippium ) that thrived in captivity , while others have refused to eat and slowly died .
dantis , a . l . and p . m . aliño ( comps . ) 0 checklist of philippine reef fishes . p . 208 - 226 . in aliño , p . m . , e . f . b . miclat , c . l . nañola jr . , h . a . roa - quiaoit and r . t . campos ( eds . ) atlas of philippine coral reefs . philippine coral reef information ( philreefs ) . goodwill trading co . , inc . ( goodwill bookstore ) , quezon city , philippines . xvi + 264p . ( ref . 45419 )
seale , a . 0 descriptions of four new species of fishes from bantayan island , philippine archipelago . philipp . j . sci . 5 ( 2 ) : 115 - 119 . ( ref . 27943 )
herre , a . w . c . t . 0 check list of philippine fishes . res . rep . u . s . fish wild . serv . , ( 20 ) : 977 p . ( ref . 280 )
of course , proper equipment and good aquarium maintenance are also prerequisites for successful butterflyfish husbandry . although not absolutely essential for keeping these fish , i would recommend that you employ a trickle filter and a protein skimmer to maintain optimal water quality .
the serious butterflyfish keeper will also want to acquire copies of the books butterflyfishes and angelfishes of the world , volumes i and ii . these should be available through your local fish store , although they may have to special order them for you .
harborne , a . r . , a . b . gill , p . s . raines and j . m . ridley0 danjugan island marine reserve . summary report to the philippine reef and rainforest conservation foundation . ( ref . 42831 )
body white with fine brownish diagonal stripes on sides , dorsal , caudal and anal fins yellow with brown margins , pelvic fins yellow , a large black oval patch surrounding the eye , and a black spot on the forehead .
known in australia from ningaloo reef , western australia , to darwin , northern territory ; also at the australian territories of christmas and cocos ( keeling ) islands in the indian ocean . found elsewhere in the tropical western pacific .
allen , g . r . 1985 . fishes of western australia . book 9 . 2207 - 2534 526 pls in burgess , w . e . & axelrod , h . r . ( eds ) . pacific marine fishes . neptune , new jersey : t . f . h . publications .
allen , g . r . & erdmann , m . v . 2012 . reef fishes of the east indies . perth : tropical reef research 3 vols , 1260 pp .
allen , g . r . , steene , r . & allen , m . 1998 . a guide to angelfishes & butterflyfishes . cairns : odyssey publishing / tropical reef research 250 pp . figs .
allen , g . r . , steene , r . c . & orchard , m . 2007 . fishes of christmas island . christmas island : christmas island natural history association 2 edn , 284 pp .
burgess , w . e . 1978 . butterflyfishes of the world . a monograph of the family chaetodontidae . t . f . h . publications , neptune city , new jersey .
findley , j . s . & m . t . findley . 2001 . global , regional , and local patterns in species richness and abundance of butterflyfishes . ecological monographs . 7 ( 1 ) : 69 - 91 .
hobbs , j . - p . a . , frisch , a . j . hender , j . & gilligan , j . j . 2007 . new records of angelfishes ( pomacanthidae ) and butterflyfishes ( chaetodontidae ) from christmas and cocos ( keeling ) islands , indian ocean . journal of the royal society of western australia 90 : 107 - 109 .
hutchins , j . b . 2003 . checklist of marine fishes of the dampier archipelago , western australia . in : f . e . wells , d . i . walker and d . s . jones ( eds ) the marine flora and fauna of dampier , western australia , pp 453 - 478 . western australian museum , perth .
kuiter , r . h . 1992 . tropical reef - fishes of the western pacific , indonesia and adjacent waters . jakarta : pt gramedia pustaka utama 314 pp . pls
kuiter , r . h . 1996 . guide to sea fishes of australia . a comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen . sydney , nsw , australia : new holland publishers xvii , 434 pp .
kuiter , r . h . 2002 . butterflyfishes , bannerfishes and their relatives . chorleywood , u . k . : tmc publishing 208 pp .
larson , h . k . & williams , r . s . 1997 . darwin harbour fishes : a survey and annotated checklist . pp . 339 - 380 in hanley , h . r . , caswell , g . , megirian , d . & larson , h . k . ( eds ) . the marine flora and fauna of darwin harbour , northern territory , australia . proceedings of the sixth international marine biology workshop . darwin : museum and art gallery of the northern territory 466 pp .
myers , r . & pratchett , m . 2010 . chaetodon adiergastos . in : iucn 2013 . iucn red list of threatened species . version 2013 . 2 . < urltoken > . downloaded on 13 january 2014 .
pyle , r . 2001 . chaetodontidae , pomacanthidae . pp . 3224 - 3286 in carpenter , k . e . & niem , v . h . ( eds ) . the living marine resources of the western central pacific . fao species identification guide for fisheries purposes . rome : fao vol . 5 2791 - 3379 pp .
steene , r . c . 1978 . butterfly and angelfishes of the world . australia . sydney : a . h . & a . w . reed vol . 1 144 pp . 216 figs .
greek , chaite = hair + greek , odous = teeth ( ref . 45335 )
marine ; reef - associated ; non - migratory ; depth range 1 - 30 m ( ref . 90102 ) . tropical ; 25°n - 15°s
western pacific : ryukyu islands and taiwan to the philippines , java , indonesia and northwestern australia .
maturity : l m ? range ? - ? cm max length : 20 . 0 cm tl male / unsexed ; ( ref . 48636 )
dorsal spines ( total ) : 12 ; dorsal soft rays ( total ) : 23 - 26 ; anal spines : 3 ; anal soft rays : 18 - 21 .
adults inhabit coral reefs and occur in pairs or groups , usually near soft coral ( ref . 9710 ) . juveniles solitary and found on shallow protected reefs or in estuaries ( ref . 48636 ) . home ranging , solitary or in pairs ( ref . 90102 ) . feed on corals , crabs , worms , and other invertebrates ( ref . 48331 ) . oviparous ( ref . 205 ) . mature individuals form pairs during breeding ( ref . 205 ) . rarely exported through the aquarium trade ( ref . 48331 ) .
steene , r . c . , 1978 . butterfly and angelfishes of the world . a . h . & a . w . reed pty ltd . , australia . vol . 1 . 144 p . ( ref . 4859 )
) : 27 . 5 - 29 . 2 , mean 28 . 8 ( based on 1211 cells ) .
phylogenetic diversity index ( ref . 82805 ) : pd 50 = 0 . 5000 [ uniqueness , from 0 . 5 = low to 2 . 0 = high ] .
bayesian length - weight : a = 0 . 02291 ( 0 . 01123 - 0 . 04674 ) , b = 3 . 01 ( 2 . 84 - 3 . 18 ) , in cm total length , based on lwr estimates for this genus - body shape ( ref . 93245 ) .
trophic level ( ref . 69278 ) : 3 . 5 ±0 . 37 se ; based on food items .
resilience ( ref . 69278 ) : high , minimum population doubling time less than 15 months ( preliminary k or fecundity . ) .
vulnerability ( ref . 59153 ) : low vulnerability ( 15 of 100 ) .
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there have been no declines documented for this species it has a relatively wide distribution , apparently large population and no obvious major threats other than coral loss . the impacts of coral reef degradation are unknown . collection is limited and is not considered to be impacting the global population . it is therefore listed as least concern . it is recommended that further research is carried out on the threats and feeding behaviour of this species .
this species ranges from the ryukyu islands ( japan ) and the island of taiwan in the north ; through the philippines ; indonesia ( including java , and the anambas and natuna islands ) ; the island of borneo ( malaysian borneo ) ; to northwestern australia ( a few records from western australia and the dampier archipelago [ steene 1978 ] ) . it has been encountered between 1 - 30 m ( pyle 2001 ) .
it is generally common with stable populations ( g . r . allen pers . comm . 2006 ) .
this species inhabits coral reefs and reef slopes ( pyle 2001 ) , where it is often encountered in pairs or groups near soft coral . the species feeds on corals , crabs , worms , and other invertebrates ( pyle 2001 ) .
steene ( 1978 ) noted that it had seldom been imported as part of the international pet trade . pyle ( 2001 ) reported that it was rarely exported through the aquarium trade .
there appear to be no major threats to this species . collection is limited and is not considered to be impacting the global population . there has been widespread coral degradation throughout its range which may have impacted the population , although it is not known to what extent .
there appear to be no species specific conservation measures in place ( g . r . allen pers . comm . 2006 ) . this species is presumably present in a number of regional marine protected areas . further field surveys are needed to better determine the distribution , natural history ( its diet is unknown ) and possible threats from coral reef degradation .
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the following bibliography has been generated by bringing together all references provided by our content partners . there may be duplication .
allen , g . r . and m . adrim0 coral reef fishes of indonesia . zool . stud . 42 ( 1 ) : 1 - 72 . ( ref . 47567 )
allen , g . r . and m . v . erdmann0 reef fishes of the east indies . perth , australia : universitiy of hawai ' i press , volumes i - iii . tropical reef research . ( ref . 90102 )
anonymous0 fish collection database of the american museum of natural history . american museum of natural history , central park west , ny 10024 - 5192 , usa . ( ref . 41414 )
anonymous0 fish collection database of the national museum of natural history ( smithsonian institution ) . smithsonian institution - division of fishes . ( ref . 38732 )
anonymous0 fish collection database of the natural history museum , london ( formerly british museum of natural history ( bmnh ) ) . natural history museum , london ( formerly british museum of natural history ( bmnh ) ) . ( ref . 31982 )
breder , c . m . and d . e . rosen0 modes of reproduction in fishes . t . f . h . publications , neptune city , new jersey . 941 p . ( ref . 205 )
broad , g . 0 fishes of the philippines . anvil publishing , inc . , pasi city . 510 pp . ( ref . 58652 )
burgess , w . e . 0 butterflyfishes of the world . a monograph of the family chaetodontidae . t . f . h . publications , neptune city , new jersey . ( ref . 4855 )
carl , h . 0 danish fish names . zoological museum of copenhagen . unpublished . ( ref . 51471 )
chen , c . - h . 0 checklist of the fishes of penghu . fri special publication no . 4 . 175 p . ( ref . 55073 )
chinese academy of fishery sciences0 chinese aquatic germplasm resources database . urltoken ( ref . 58108 )
department of fisheries malaysia0 valid local name of malaysian marine fishes . department of fisheries malaysia . ministry of agriculture and agro - based industry . 180 p . ( ref . 85449 )
findley , j . s . and m . t . findley0 global , regional , and local patterns in species richness and abundance of butterflyfishes . ecological monographs . 7 ( 1 ) , pp . 69 - 91 . ( ref . 40521 )
froese r . & pauly d . ( eds ) ( 2015 ) . fishbase ( version jan 2015 ) . in : species 2000 & itis catalogue of life , 26th august 2015 ( roskov y . , abucay l . , orrell t . , nicolson d . , kunze t . , flann c . , bailly n . , kirk p . , bourgoin t . , dewalt r . e . , decock w . , de wever a . , eds ) . digital resource at urltoken . species 2000 : naturalis , leiden , the netherlands . issn 2405 - 8858 .
garces , l . r . , q . p . sia , m . j . m . vega , j . cabansag and v . hilomen0 species composition and abundance of reef fish communities . p . 000 - 000 . in g . silvestre , c . luna and j . padilla ( eds . ) multidisciplinary assessment of the fisheries in san miguel bay , philippines ( 1992 - 1993 ) . iclarm technical report 47 . international center for living aquatic resources management , makati , philippines . ( ref . 45334 )
hardy , j . d . jr . ( comp . ) 0 coral reef fish species . noaanational oceanographic data center . nodc coral reef data and information management system . usa . 537 p . ( ref . 48497 )
hoese , d . f . , d . j . bray , j . r . paxton and g . r . allen0 fishes . in beasley , o . l . and a . wells ( eds . ) zoological catalogue of australia . volume 35 . 2 australia : abrs & csiro publishing , 1472 p . ( ref . 75154 )
huang , z . 0 marine species and their distribution in china ' s seas . p . 404 - 463 . vertebrata . smithsonian institution , florida , usa . 598 p . ( ref . 47843 )
kim , i . s . , y . choi , c . l . lee , y . j . lee , b . j . kim and j . h . kim0 illustrated book of korean fishes . kyo - hak pub co . seoul . 615p . ( in korean ) . ( ref . 77001 )
kuiter , r . h . and t . tonozuka0 pictorial guide to indonesian reef fishes . part 2 . fusiliers - dragonets , caesionidae - callionymidae . zoonetics , australia . 304 - 622 p . ( ref . 48636 )
kuiter , r . h . 0 tropical reef - fishes of the western pacific indonesia and adjacent waters . gramedia pustaka utama , jakarta . 314 p . ( ref . 8631 )
lieske , e . and r . myers0 collins pocket guide . coral reef fishes . indo - pacific & caribbean including the red sea . haper collins publishers , 400 p . ( ref . 9710 )
masuda , h . and g . r . allen0 meeresfische der welt - groß - indopazifische region . tetra verlag , herrenteich , melle . 528 p . ( ref . 9137 )
masuda , h . , k . amaoka , c . araga , t . uyeno and t . yoshino0 the fishes of the japanese archipelago . vol . 1 . tokai university press , tokyo , japan . 437 p . ( text ) . ( ref . 559 )
mcmanus , j . w . , c . l . nañola jr . , r . b . reyes jr . and k . n . kesner0 resource ecology of the bolinao coral reef system . iclarm stud . rev . 22 : 117 p . ( ref . 5399 )
myers , r . f . 0 micronesian reef fishes : a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of micronesia , 3rd revised and expanded edition . coral graphics , barrigada , guam . 330 p . ( ref . 37816 )
nakabo , t . 0 fishes of japan with pictorial keys to the species , english edition ii . tokai university press , japan , pp 867 - 1749 . ( ref . 43239 )
nghia , n . v . 0 fishes of viet nam . unpublished compilation of nguyen viet nghia . ( ref . 55784 )
nguyen , h . p . , p . le trong , n . t . nguyen , p . d . nguyen , n . do thi nhu and v . l . nguyen0 checklist of marine fishes in vietnam . vol . 3 . order perciformes , suborder percoidei , and suborder echeneoidei . science and technics publishing house , vietnam . ( ref . 12846 )
nguyen , n . t . and v . q . nguyen0 biodiversity and living resources of the coral reef fishes in vietnam marine waters . science and technology publishing house , hanoi . ( ref . 58534 )
ono , r . and d . j . addison0 ethnoecology and tokelauan fishing lore from atafu atoll , tokelau . spc traditional marine resource management and knowledge information bulletin 26 : 3 - 22 . ( ref . 87813 )
pauly , d . 0 the fishes and their ecology . p . 15 - 33 . in d . pauly and a . n . mines ( eds . ) small - scale fisheries of san miguel bay , phil . : biology and stock assessment . iclarm tech . rep . 7 , 124 p . ifdr cf , upv , q . c . , phil ; iclarm , mla , phil ; and the unu , tok , japan . ( ref . 45674 )
pyle , r . 0 chaetodontidae . butterflyfishes . p . 3224 - 3265 . in k . e . carpenter and v . h . niem ( eds . ) fao species identification guide for fishery purposes . the living marine resources of the western central pacific . volume 5 . bony fishes part 3 ( menidae to pomacentridae ) . rome , fao . pp . 2791 - 3380 . ( ref . 48331 )
randall , j . e . and k . k . p . lim ( eds . ) 0 a checklist of the fishes of the south china sea . raffles bull . zool . suppl . ( 8 ) : 569 - 667 . ( ref . 36648 )
randall , j . e . 0 randall ' s tank photos . collection of 10 , 000 large - format photos ( slides ) of dead fishes . unpublished . ( ref . 28618 )
randall , j . e . 0 randall ' s underwater photos . collection of almost 2 , 000 underwater photos ( slides ) . unpublished . ( ref . 28620 )
shen , s . c . ( ed . ) 0 fishes of taiwan . department of zoology , national taiwan university , taipei . 960 p . ( ref . 5193 )
steene , r . c . 0 butterfly and angelfishes of the world . a . h . & a . w . reed pty ltd . , australia . vol . 1 . 144 p . ( ref . 4859 )
taquet , m . and a . diringer0 poissons de l ' océan indien et de la mer rouge . éditions quæ , versailles , france . 527 p . ( ref . 81519 )
thresher , r . e . 0 reproduction in reef fishes . t . f . h . publications , inc . ltd . , neptune city , new jersey . 399 p . ( ref . 240 )
to be filled0 tubbataha list ( electronic file ) . angelique songco ( pers . comm ) . ( ref . 57038 )
werner , t . b . and g . r . allen0 a rapid marine biodiversity assessment of the calamianes islands , palawan province , philippines . rap bulletin of biological assessment 17 . washington , d . c . : conservation international . ( ref . 48613 )
white , a . and h . calumpong0 saving tubbataha reef : earthwatch expedition to the philippines ' 92 . silliman j . 36 ( 2 ) : 77 - 105 . ( ref . 42484 )
wu , h . l . , k . - t . shao and c . f . lai ( eds . ) 0 latin - chinese dictionary of fishes names . the sueichan press , taiwan . 1028 p . ( ref . 31517 )
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adults inhabit coral reefs and occur in pairs or groups , usually near soft coral ( ref . 9710 ) . juveniles solitary and found on shallow protected reefs or in estuaries ( ref . 48636 ) . home ranging , solitary or in pairs ( ref . 90102 ) . feed on corals , crabs , worms , and other invertebrates ( ref . 48331 ) . oviparous ( ref . 205 ) . mature individuals form pairs during breeding ( ref . 205 ) . rarely exported through the aquarium trade ( ref . 48331 ) .
range : western pacific ocean : southern japan and taiwan , south to the philippines , java and northwestern australia .
natural environment : adults inhabit coastal reef faces and fore - reef slopes at depths between 10 to 80 feet ( 3 – 25 m ) and are usually found near soft coral growths , yet mainly feed on stony coral polyps , crabs , worms , and other invertebrates . usually lives in pairs or small groups . juveniles are solitary , and inhabit shallow protected coral reefs and estuaries .
general husbandry : quite attractive , as it has a whitish body with diagonal brown stripes with a broad somewhat rounded black band encompassing the eye , yet not continuous from one side to the other , and a black crown - like spot on the top center of the head . its dorsal , anal , pelvic , and tail fins are bright yellow .
rarely seen in the u . s . aquarium hobby , yet is said to adapt quite easily to aquarium life in larger peaceful fish - only aquariums , especially those with lots of open swimming space and live rock hiding places . may be kept in pairs or small groups , but all should be introduced at the same time .
a meaty diet of live fortified brine shrimp , black worms ( lumbriculus variegatus ) , and / or various frozen meaty foods such as mysis should be offered several times daily .
should there be a problem getting this species to feed in the aquarium , small human consumption clams / black mussels purchased in local grocery stores and placed on the half - shell in the aquarium may help entice it to begin feeding . over time , frozen foods like mysis and brine shrimp should be more readily accepted .
pressing some soft foods into openings / crevices on a piece of old dead coral skeleton can sometimes encourage finicky eaters to begin feeding .
the material on this site may not be reproduced , distributed , transmitted , cached or otherwise used , except with the prior written permission of bob goemans .
unfortunately , there are some unscrupulous collectors , wholesalers and retailers who still sell butterflyfishes that will not survive in the home aquarium . this is unfair to the new aquarist , who may not know any better , and to the animal , which is destined to live an abbreviated life . therefore , hobbyists need to be aware of those species that do not thrive in captivity and refuse to purchase these fish from retailers .
let’s take a brief overview of this group and examine those species that are well suited for captivity and those that must be avoided . the main characteristic that will ultimately determine which species will readily adapt to captive life is diet . butterflyfishes can be placed in one of several categories based on their food habits . these categories are : obligatory coral feeders , facultative coral feeders , non - coral invertebrate feeders and zooplankton feeders .
the last two groups are best suited for captivity because these species have a greater dietary range and will consume the foods that aquarists normally feed their fish . the members of the facultative coral feeder group fall into various places on the continuum of hardiness ( i . e . , some are difficult to keep , some are not ) , whereas members of the first group feed almost exclusively on stony corals and can rarely be switched to aquarium diets .
these are the species that slowly starve to death or succumb to disease as a result of malnutrition . in the accompanying sidebar , i have listed the butterflyfishes that belong to this group .
these individual differences may be related to how and where the specimen was captured and how it was treated before it was placed in the tank . also , the age of the specimen may influence its ability to adapt . for the most part , larger specimens do not acclimate as easily as smaller individuals .
as a potential chaetodontid owner , there are a few other things you should be aware of . first , these fish are munching on invertebrates all through the day . thus , it is best to feed them at least twice or three times ( smaller amounts ) a day .
give them a varied diet , which should include seafood ( e . g . , clam , scallop , squid ) that has been thoroughly rinsed and chopped into bite - size morsels , and / or one of the prepared foods on the market that contains an assortment of marine fare . the best choice is one that is supplemented with amino acids and pigments , which aid in health maintenance and color retention .
when selecting fish for your tank , remember that most butterflyfishes attain lengths of more than 5 inches . you must leave plenty of room in your aquarium to accommodate an adult specimen .
an aquarist must also be prepared for those parasites that invade butterflyfishes . unfortunately , there are a number of them , including ich ( cryptocaryon irritans ) , velvet ( amyloodinium ocellatum ) , lymphocystis and the dreaded uronema . because space does not allow detailed discussion of these diseases , i recommend reading a good book on marine aquarium basics ( for example , the marine aquarium handbook by martin moe ) and quarantining all your fish before putting them into your display tank !
instead of providing you with the name of a single species that is “easy” to keep , i am going to give you a list of species that are well suited for aquarium life . these are : the threadfin ( chaetodon auriga ) , indian ocean vagabond ( c . decussatus ) , klein’s ( c . kleinii ) , raccoon ( c . lunula ) , black - backed ( c . melannotus ) , millet seed ( c . miliaris ) , double - saddled ( c . ulietensis ) , vagabond ( c . vagabundus ) , yellow long - nosed ( forcipiger flavissimus ) and pyramid ( hemitaurichthys polylepis ) butterflyfishes , as well as the longfin ( heniochus acuminatus ) and schooling ( h . diphreutes ) bannerfishes .


declana atronivea , commonly called the north island lichen or north island zebra moth , is a moth of the family geometridae .

it is endemic to new zealand .

declana atronivea

declana atronivea ' s markings look quite striking but against a lichen background they are fantatsic camoflage . according to dr robert the larvae resemble twigs of the host plant covered in lichen . the host plant is the nz native tree pseudopanax arboreus commonly known as five finger , puahou or whauwhaupaku .
also know as the south island lichen moth or the south island zebra moth declana egregia features on the new zealand $ 100 bill .
urltoken photos below of declana floccosa show the great variation in the species . notice the little - raised ridges over the wings . thanks to wikipedia for text and information : urltoken
today ' s moth is declana egregia . we choose this beautiful moth as the spokesmoth for puka whakamārama o te pepe nui - te taurapa ( the southern south island beginners ' guide to macro moths ) .
the snowy - white of chocolate brown reminded us of the southern frosts over rich deep soils of the southland plains . declana egregia of course uses the colourings and patterning of its wings as camoflage against a lichen back drop .
declana floccosa is a common , new zealand , nocturnal , moth with a wingspan of 27–35 mm . it is extremely variable in colour and patterning . it is attracted to light and during the day it rests on fences and tree trunks where its mottled grey colouring causes it to look like lichen .
declana egregia is a geometrid of strikingly beautiful patterns . it was a hard job to select just one moth species for the cover of each of our macro moth guides . we looked for a moth that was special to the region , distinctive and with some symbolism in the colouring . the colouring is also reflected in the shading of the region in the south island ( the waka reflection ) on the front cover .
the astute among you will notice that this week ' s moth bears some resemblance to our very first moth of the week ( declana egregia ) and they share the same first name . naming of species in science , the so called latin names are back to front compared to how we ( in english ) normally use names . the science names are
latin
because they are latinised even though the names themselves are often derived from other languages , for instance english , greek and in nz māori .
a taxon identifier is composed of name , author , year and attribute , all separated by a blank . these are all extracted from the original publication .
the name is reproduced exactly as proposed in the original publication . the name of a genus is made up of one word and species made up of two words ( genus and species ) separated by a blank .
the author ' s name is made up of a string of letters , with no blanks , and multiple authors ' names are separated by a comma . spelling of author ' s name is based on the original publication . if there are more than three authors , only the names of the first two authors are shown , followed by
, +
and the number of omitted authors .
attribute is enclosed in square brackets . this is rarely needed , but to differentiate homo - identifiers , this will contain the page , line or plate number of original publication .
all diacritic marks , hyphens , and apostrophes are eliminated , thus only the following characters are used : a to z , a to z , 0 to 9 , blank , comma , and opening and closing square brackets . although upper and lower cases are used for the convenience of human recognition , it is not case sensitive .
created by dicky sick ki yu 1997 - 2012 please send me information about errors and omissions ( contact information ) with supporting references , possibly with pdf or hard copy .
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scott , r . r . ; emberson , r . m . 1999 : handbook of the new zealand insect names : common and scientific names for insects and alllied organisms . bulletin of the entomological society of new zealand 12 : 100pp
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larva taken in the woodhaugh gardens , dunedin , on the 16th march , 1912 . a single specimen taken , crawling on the trunk of a ribbonwood - tree ( plagianthus ) .
length , about 40 mm . ; probably full - fed , being “deep” ( about 8 mm . ) for its length . the caterpillar was of robust appearance .
general colour , dull olive - green , marked with black . face with horny plate , marked with small black dots . a dorsal line of ochreous dots of fair size , a series of lateral oblique lines and small dots . spiracles plainly indicated by black dots . underside pale ochreous . prolegs on segments 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , the pair on the last segment well marked with a black patch over rear .
the larva pupated after a few days , probably being slightly hurried by want of suitable food . the moth emerged on the 9th june , 1912 . the seven imagos i have taken were taken at “sugar” in december , january , and march , so that the time of emergence of this specimen does not seem quite natural .
larvae taken at half - moon bay , stewart island , in march , 1913 , feeding on panax .
the colouring and shape were strongly protective , especially so when the caterpillar held by the anal claspers and stretched its body out from the trunk .
unfortunately , the caterpillars ( most of which were sent to the dominion museum ) did not survive . i had the good fortune to obtain one fine specimen , which emerged on the 18th march , 1913 .
hudson , in “new zealand moths and butterflies , ” says the larvae of this moth live in the spear - grass , “a single one in each clump . ” in several localities i have cut out the clumps of aciphylla , and on each occasion found the caterpillars gregarious . at riversdale , on the waimea plains , one clump had quite a number of individuals feeding within it , and they varied considerably in size . the larger larvae were from 2 in . to 2½ in . , while the smaller were from ¾ in . to 1 in . apparently last year ' s full - grown caterpillars
mr . hudson gives a description of the larvae in his “new zealand moths and butterflies , ” p . 10 .
various larvae , taken at different times , and generally distributed . the larva is full grown about the end of october , and is then about 48 mm . in length .
general colour , ochreous with a pink flush . a double fuscous line dorsally , a fuscous line from base of eye , marked with deep - fuscous marks at each segment . a fuscous lateral line with distinct black dots at each segment . prolegs on segments 6 to 9 . pupa enclosed in slight cocoon . rather slim and long , with a well - developed spine .
this is a native moth seen december and january flying during the day . the caterpillars live in the heart of the astelia nervosa plant . it is described as “a most beautiful moth , metallic purple - bronze with pale lemon - yellow markings ,
leaf - miner caterpillar tunnels ( charixena iridoxa ) in astelia leaf upper surface .
tunnels in astelia nervosa made by the astelia zig - zag moth caterpillar ( charixena iridoxa ) the under surface . of the leaf .
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as part of ahi pepe mothnet , we have developed a set of resources to help you integrate ahi pepe into your class . the constituent units contain most of the special vocabulary you’ll need . most importantly , we’ve tried to include things that will make the unit enjoyable and fun for everyone .
our guiding principle is kaitiakitaka mā te pūtaiao , mā te taiao , mā te mahi toi - stewardship through science , nature , art .
these resources are free to download and print , and there ' s something for every age from 3 to 103 . why not share them with your family and friends ?
we ' ll add links to the individual units as they go live progressively over the month of may . the units will also be available via ahi pepe | mothnet light : classroom activities .
robert hoare talks about a moth seen in the field at bushy park with teacher tiahuia kawe - small .
robert hoare , lepidopterist with manaaki whenua - landcare research identifies moths collected during the ahi pepe camp .
soon after i rediscovered the male ( figure 2 ) , i found the first female of the species . it has narrow short wings and is flightless , severely restricting the mobility and spread of the species . the moth is confined to saltmarsh where i am confident its caterpillars are feeding on remuremu – selliera radicans . i have found larval damage on the leaves but haven’t completely proven that this is its hostplant .
in the department of conservation’s 2017 of threatened moths and butterflies the species is listed as nationally critical – the highest category . i will be travelling south soon to re - monitor it as the adults have an annual life - cycle and emerge from late march through to late april .
figure 1 : blue stars mark the past and present known records of the remuremu looper moth in the vicinity of invercargill , southland . note that the two northern populations may be gone .
figure 2 : the adult male of the remuremu looper moth amongst its saltmarsh habitat . note the wings held together like butterflies do .
we want to know if the colour of artificial light at night affects new zealand ' s native moths . want to find out with us ?
if you are in the dunedin local area and would like to join this year ' s ahi pepe mothnet march experiment let us know .
thanks to the generous support of kamahi electronics and manaaki whenua - landcare research we have a limited number of traps available to lend to the public .
we ' ve had lots of inquiries so don ' t be shy . this is your chance to participate in some real life science and see cool nightlife .
this is a really cool project to do with kids so we will give priority to kura / primary schools / conservation groups and those in the orokonui halo or peninsula area .
you ' ll get to see some of new zealand ' s amazing native moths up close . our brand new activity book is about to be launched and you ' ll get a copy of our amazing puka whakamārama o te pepe nui - beginner ' s guide to the macro moths for your region to keep .
commit to one night of sampling between the 12th march and 19th of march ( setting out either 4 or 10 traps over night ( just one night ) .
if you missed us on channel 39 last week , here ' s your chance to tune in .
whakatauki - me te upoko tūkoukou - like the chrysalis of the spinx moth ( used when likening something to especially fine weaving ) .
orthoclydon praefactata features in dr robert ' s ( landcare research ) photographic guide to moths & butterflies of new zealand with a beautiful photo by oliver ball ( the bright white colour morph ) and in the andrew crowe - which new zealand insect ? ( the white with buff edges colour morph ) . the moth also features on several of our puka whakamārama o te pepe nui - beginner ' s guide to the macro moths series .
episode 05 : kā kaka tipu , presented by jaz , margarita and our guest scientist dr bronwyn lowe , was fabulous .
the show includes a recording of the te kura kaupapa māori o ōtepoti senior class trip to the otago museum to view kā kaka tipu in the takata whenua gallery . followed by a trip to dr lowe ' s lab at the university of otago were we look at various kā kaka tipu under the school ' s two dissecting microscopes ( purchased through funding won by whaea tiahuia last year ) and the polarising microscope in the lab .
episode three of kā manu o rēhua and dr anderson discussed kaitiakitanga ( guardianship ) , with special guest tahu mackenzie from orokonui ecosanctuary , and musician bill morris .
watch this space , also , for news of our new badges . these are being produced and sold to enable students from te kura kaupapa māori o ōtepoti to attend the world indigenous peoples conference on education in canada later this year .
today ' s fabulous cast on kā manu o rēhua and dr anderson . back : tahu mackenzie from orokonui ecosanctuary and her pal bill morris . front : georgia and anna from te kura kaupapa māori o ōtepoti , and barbara anderson .
the ahi pepe | mothnet project has its own radio show ! kā manu o rēhua and dr anderson goes live each friday morning between now and easter .
each week tamariki ( children ) from te kura kaupapa māori o ōtepoti present a mix of everyday science and te reo , interviewing a guest scientist and discussing the science at their school .
grab a cup of tea and tune in as kā manu o rēhua and dr anderson interview a guest scientist and bring you a mix of everyday science in te reo māori .
some pics of us in the studio doing the first live show of kā manu o rēhua and dr anderson . so - to kick off , we have kā whetū ( the stars ) with dr ian griffin .
the wonderful folk at mbie ' s curious minds have given us a no - cost extension of the ahi pepe | mothnet project until the end of the first term ( primary school ) . of course the workshop has run and completed and we have no extra money but if you know of an extremely keen primary school - especially a small rural one or a māori immersion ( e . g . tkkm ) school that you think would be keen to join the experiment phase it ' s worth giving us a shout out to see if we can work something out .
there ' s an abundance of information from the workshop on the project website . go to the resources link and you ' ll get downloadable pdfs of all the workshop resources . these cover every stage and step of the experiment .
also remember i ' m ( barbara anderson , project manager ) almost always available through the @ mothnetnz twitter feed or by commenting on the mothnet facebook page .
barbara anderson oversees children setting a moth trap . photo credit : greg nelson .
shotover primary school students using their observation skills painting moths . image - emma watts .
the latin name is made up of two parts the genus name followed by the specific epithet . the genus name indicates the immediate close relatives of a species and is similar to how we in english use a surname or perhaps a hapu grouping . the species epiphet is second and each species within the genus has a different specific epiphet ( just like brothers and sisters in the same family have different first names so we can tell who we are talking about - or calling for dinner ) .
the lovely dr robert hoare ( landcare research ) has written us a nice long post about this wonderful moth .
another fantastic moth that gives instant rebuttal to the common misconception that moths are boring and drab colours . again , this is a firm favourite at face painting sessions . tatosoma lestevata recently featured on the front cover of the landcare research newsletter discovery ( you can download a beautiful a3 poster depicting a carpet moth ( tatosoma lestevata ) in all its green glory ) .
we chose tatosoma lestevata as the moth emblem for the puka whakamārama o te pepe nui - te rauawa . this guide covers the west coast of the south island from the hollyford river north to farewell spit – the crosby moth regions of west coast ( wd ) , buller ( br ) and nelson ( nn ) . you can find all these regions and the description of the boundaries in the crosby et al . 1976 publication .
te rauawa region is named for the gunwales of the waka . the gunwales are the top edge of planking , and are wet from sea spray most of the time . the guides to the west coast and east coast of the south island are named after parts of the waka ' s hull , and as the west coast is wetter , it became te rauawa . sean , the graphic design student who worked on our guides , made the gunwales a different colour to the rest of the waka so you can pick them out . tatosoma lestevata , with its gorgeous green colouring and distinct wavy lines ( four on each forewing ) , seemed to embody the lush forest and rough seas of the west coast .
another fantastic moth that gives instant rebuttal to the common misconception that moths are boring and drab colours , xyridacma alectoraria is a firm favourite at face painting sessions .
we chose xyridacma alectoraria as the moth emblem for the puka whakamārama o te pepe nui - te tahiwi . this guide covers the east coast of the south island from the waitaki river north the crosby moth regions of south canterbury ( sc ) ; mid canterbury ( mc ) ; north canterbury ( nc ) ; kaikoura ( ka ) ; marlbourgh ( mb ) and the marlbourgh sounds ( sd ) . - you can find all these regions and the description of the boundaries in the crosby et al . 1976 publication .
te tahiwi region is named for the hull of the waka . we named the east coast and west coast of the south island as a pair both alluding to different sections of the hull . the east coast being the drier became te tahiwi . xyridacma alectoraria with its gorgeous yellow wings seemd an appropriate emblem for a region characterized by sun and golden ( white ) wines .
all geometrids are known colloquially as loopers . this comes from the way the caterpillars move – arching up like a bent bow and moving along the leaf or twig . the classic children ' s song inchworm is about a geometrid caterpiller . see sesame street do a rendition on youtube . the te reo māori term for geometrids tāwhana , references the same caterpillar form with tāwhana also referring to a rainbow . the yellow of xyridacma alectoraria could certainly be from a rainbow .
this moth is as fantastic as the images below suggest . meterana meyricci is the instant rebuttal to the common misconception that moths are boring and drab colours . it is a firm favourite at face painting sessions .
you can see from the images below that the brightly coloured pink is on the hind wings and abdomen but not the forewings , thorax or head . this is quite a common strategy in the insect world as it means the moth can close its forewings over the brightly coloured pink parts and hide . bright colours that can be hidden like this are usually used for signalling - it ' s the moth equivalent of a tudor court lady flashing an ankle .
we chose meterana meyricci as the moth emblem for the puka whakamārama o te pepe nui - te hīheru . this guide covers the dry inland basins of the central south island the crosby moth regions of central otago ( co ) ; otago lakes ( ol ) and the mackenzie basin ( mk ) . you can find all these regions and the description of the boundaries in the crosby et al . 1976 publication ( 1 ) .
te hīheru region is named for the bailer that is usually depicted as sitting on the center of the stern end of the waka . appropriate for these dry dusty basins , this is the region that i ( barbara anderson ) grew up in and the local streams often have small pieces of pink stone . i have since found out that this is called piemontite schist or aroha stone . if you take another look at the forewings of meterana meyricci you’ll see that amongst the luxurious grey green they are studded with flakes of gold . an appropriate emblem for a region whose recent history was so heavily influenced by gold mining . te hīheru is the only guide that meterana meyricci ( the pink moth ) appears on .
butterfly carried on the wind . fluttering its wings on the wind . up and up , way up high fluttering its wings on the wind .
it lands on a flower to lay its eggs , this butterfly . one , two , three , four . they shake and quiver , out pops four caterpillars .
they eat and eat , every leaf consumed . the caterpillars become pupae . one , two , three , four .
they quiver and change from a pupa . out pops a head , a long bendy leg . fluttering wings flitter , flutter , flap . butterfly carried on the wind . fluttering its wings on the wind . up and up , way up high fluttering its wings on the wind .
the guides arrived yesterday 26 boxes ! ! ! the beginners ' guides have all been printed and folded into a nice little concertina booklet that is easy to use in the field . we have :
its hard to put into words how amazing it is to see them finally completely finished after all the hours of work . thank you to the good folks landcare research .
first and foremost of course my co - conspirator robert hoare ( dr robert ) for his love of moths , his eye for detail and expertise that he has so willingly shares and contributes to this project . to birgit for the amazing moth images that truly make these guide what they are . for nicolette who painstakingly scaled each moth to life size ( all 222 of them ) and of course all of the good folk who share offices with me for enduring the last few months of stress and fretting .
huge props to sean gilles the talented illustrator from the otago design school otago polytechnic for the fantastic illustration full of symbolism and deftly merging cultural reference with natural history and science .
the enthusiasm and thoroughness that our colleagues at kāi tahu te runanga o ngai tahu and te tumu - school of māori , pacific & indigenous studies brought to this project have been a constant source of inspiration .
tiahuia and the tamariki of te kura kaupapa māori o ōtepoti who convinced me this project needed taking on and who make the long hours worth while - these guides are dedicated to you .
tahu orokonui ecosanctuary for her endless good sense and positiveness and dr ralf ohlemuller ( department of geography , university of otago ) who does a million things as a science sounding board and is the best colleague and husband you could wish for .
the ahi pepe | mothnet workshop is coming up very soon ! everyone is working hard to make this the most fantastic celebration of moths the south island has ever seen .
everything you need to know to do and teach a simple science experiment . looking at moth diversity .
eight guides in te reo māori and english cover the souh island in four bioregions .
measure micro - climate factors , e . g . , wind speed , wind direction , temperature , humidity
use tracking tunnels to look at mammal pest density ( e . g . , mice , rats , possums , stoats , hedghogs ) outside the orokonui fence - elton will do the inside for us : )
get to know each other - schools from across the south island are sending champions plus all the scientists and experts from the mothnet team .
barbara anderson met with the fabulous emma burns from otago museum , and between them they have arranged to add an add on to the mothnet workshop .
this is an optional add - on that has been organized for the morning of wednesday 26th for those planning to travel on the tuesday .
space in the collections is tight and strictly regulated so we need to plan the numbers .
the beginners ' guides to the macro moths series is , to our knowledge , a world first . this is the first field - guide to macro moths in kāi tahu dialect !
this is a re - imagining that will engage tamariki across te waiponamu in the beauty and value of pepe nui .
we ' ve just come back from the printers with final quotes and numbers . plates are being made .
if you know someone who ' s got an interest in moths , insects in general , nature , science or conservation that you think would like to join our ahi pepe | mothnet - we are casting the net wide . post a comment . give us a name , a reason and a school and we ' ll send you the guide to the macro moths for your region of te waiponamu .
we have some truly amazing schools participating in this year ' s curious minds ahi pepe mothnet project . most of these schools have a facebook presence and a website .
if you are part of one of these great little communities and you want to join in with the mothy fun feel free to follow this page and follow our progress as we set out on an ambitious project to explore moth diversity and vegetation restoration projects across the south island .
today ella hayman is back on board as part of the landcare research team bringing ahi pepe mothnet to a primary school near you . welcome back ella ! !
ella is one of landcare research ' s best technicians ( i know i ' m a bit biased ) among ella ' s many skills is plant identification and organizing for fieldwork campaigns . she ' s currently drawing together a folder full of resources for our ahi pepe mothnet champions to take back to their family , friends and schools so that we know everyone in the ahi pepe mothnet network is collecting the same data in the same way .
clear , efficient protocols are one of the main ways scientists make sure that data is reproducible . a protocol is a fancy way of saying a set of instructions . if we were baking a cake the ' protocol ' would be the recipe . in fact science is a lot like baking .
we usually start with a list of ingredients ( the equipment we need for the experiment ) . this is followed by a step - by - step set of clear instructions in a logical order . just like recipes , some protocols are clear and easy to follow , and some less so . ahi pepe mothnet is lucky to have ella making sure all our recipes are clear and easy to follow .
the end goal of the ahi pepe | mothnet project is to design and run a south island - wide experiment investigating the question ' does vegetation restoration restore the ecosystem connections ? ' . the field work ( 2 - 4 nights trapping ) needs to be completed before mid - december 2016 .
the intention is that each school will run a ' block ' of the national experiment . we will use some time at the workshop to select potential sites near each school . one each of :
a vegetation restoration site ( i . e the treatment , e . g . a native planting , some of your schools will already be involved in a vegetation restoration project )
a mature near - native site ( i . e . reference e . g . a local fragment or reserve of native vegetation )
a background site with vegetation similar to the restoration site before the restoration ( i . e . a control , e . g . the school playing fields )
the important thing is to have three sites ( vegetation restoration / treatment , reference / mature - state and background / control ) that are as similar as possible in everything ( e . g . elevation , aspect , distance to coast ) except what we are testing ( i . e . the vegetation restoration ) there are limits to how similar we can achieve so we cope with this by measuring as many other variables ( e . g . temperature , humidity , wind , small mammals ) as possible ( to quantify the differences ) and by replication .
for the workshop it would be to have as many suggestions as you ( and the family and friends around your area ) can come up with and to bring along whatever information you have on these already ( e . g . a photo of the site , exact location and name , size , what the history of the site is ) .
if your group / community are keen there is nothing to stop your group having more than one block ( set of the three sites treatment , reference , control ) .
fell free to post pictures of the potential sites here on the face book page . we can ' t wait to see them . ask family and friends there is a lot of knowledge out there in the community . maybe a local farmer has started replanting along a river or creek . maybe department of conservation ( nz ) - west coast has a project nearby ?
remember also vegetation restoration comes in many forms . it could be : replanting , predator control ( e . g . trapping , poisoning , fencing ) ; it could be fencing out stock and letting the site naturally regenerate from a local seed source .
there are five things that all experiments need . you can use our experiment as an example to make an experiment to test almost anything you want to know the answer to . you don ' t need to be a real scientist you don ' t need to wear a white coat , or make an explosion , you don ' t need crazy hair , or glasses ( unless you are blowing something up then you need safety glasses ) , or a y chromosome ( but it ' s ok if you happen to have one ) , or chemicals . but there are a few things you do need . . . . .
a treatment designed to test the question ( e . g . a vegetation restoration project )
a control for anything that might affect the results - aside from the one thing we want to test . the treatment and control should be as similar as possible in every way except for the one thing we are testing . if we want to test how vegetation restoration affects moth diversity ideally we would find two locations that were as similar as possible and then randomly assign one to the treatment ( vegetation restoration ) and the other to the control ( no vegetation restoration ) . the natural world is complex and somethings take a long time or happen over large areas this means ecology is more difficult than most science fields so sometimes we need to be creative . sometimes we just need to do a lot more work . in our case we have a difficult question because vegetation restoration takes longer than we have . one way of getting around this limitation is to pick two sites that are as similar as possible in every way except that one has a vegetation restoration project and then think of all the other things that might be important and measure these . we call these other things covariates .
replication allows us to show that the effect of the treatment is real and not due to chance differences between the treatment and the control . small effects are harder to find . more complex systems ( like the nature world ) have more other things going on so they make it more difficult to show the difference between the treatment and the control ( the signal ) . you can think of it like looking for something you dropped . if the thing you dropped is large , it ' s easier to find , nearly every time you reach for it you ' ll get it . if the thing you dropped always falls in exactly the same way and place its easier to find .
one of our msc students , nick , created this great video about mothnet - hope you enjoy it as much as we do .
orange tip [ anthocharis cardamines ] nice looking butterfly , sitting on a [ barbarea stricta ] . with full bjerkvik postal mark from 08 04 94
specimen , lepidoptera - south island lichen moth . attracted to light , podocarp - broadleaf forest , gunns bush , waimate . november 1984 .
south island lichen moth . attracted to light , podocarp - broadleaf forest , gunns bush , waimate . november 1984 .
can ' t find it ? content continues to be added as our collections are digitised – so contact us to ask about other collections or visit again soon .
except where otherwise noted , all content on this site provided by the south canterbury museum is licensed under a creative commons by - nc - nd 3 . 0 unported license .
achroia grisella resides in most of the world milder climates including new zealand . galleria mellonella ( greater wax moth ) which is also found in new zealand is a close relative . both these wax moths are pests of apiculture .
their lifespan is about 7 months , from egg to adult . they are holometabolous , which is they go through four stages in their life cycle – egg , larva , pupa and adult .
the adult moths are > 15 mm in length and have a wingspan of 11 - 14mm . their wings which are a grey / brown / bronze colour are folded at a shallow angle over the top of the body . the head is yellow . the adult moth’s mouthparts are atrophied , so they do not feed . they fly mainly at night , during daylight they rest in dark places .
when the larvae reach full size it spins a cocoon ( about 12 mm long ) made from material excavated from the surface on which the larva pupates . depending upon temperature wax moth pupae may hatch rapidly or take up to two months to change to the adult stage .
the lesser wax moth larvae are unable to compete with greater wax moth larvae as the latter will eat them .
when the colony is going through a period of stress , such as after the loss of its queen bee or under starvation conditions , these moths may completely take over the hives honeycombs .
achroia grisella larvae are widely bred as food for pets such as lizards , birds or fish .
mix 1 cup of sugar , 1 cup of vinegar , a couple of banana skins chopped up and put in a two - litre milk bottle with a 50mm hole cut out of the front . top up with water and hang it close to the hive . the banana skins and sugar will ferment attracting both wax moth and wasps which will drown in the mixture .
the moth with wing folded over the body . its yellow head is visible .
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artona martini is a black , zygaenid moth recorded from japan , china , taiwan and vietnam . the adult moths are entirely black with a dark metallic blue body . the hind wings are translucent .
it was first discovered in new zealand in 1996 in whangarei from seven locations . in new zealand , it has only been recorded so far ( 2017 ) from awanui in northland , whangarei , auckland and hamilton . it is thought the most likely mode of entry into new zealand was in second - hand cars from japan . in the late 1990s , cast caterpillar skins and dead pupae of artona martini were intercepted on second - hand vehicles imported from japan at auckland , tauranga and nelson .
the caterpillars pupate in a papery brown oval cocoon on the host leaves or in any crevices and holes that they crawl to . in its native range , they have two to three generations a year .
artona martinis are not a threat to any of new zealand’s fauna and flora .
warning : the caterpillars have urticating hairs that can cause a severe , burning , itchy sensation when touched . dermatitis can follow . handling the caterpillars should be avoided . the caterpillar . thanks to wikipedia for text and information : urltoken
the caterpillars of this moth feeds on a very wide range of native and exotic broad - leaved and coniferous shrubs and trees .
the black hairy adult moth liothula omnivora a caterpillar due to pupate photographed on a wall attaching its case to the wall with silk strands .
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the moth lays oval eggs in an upright position on the leaves of the host plant . they are laid singly or slightly attached to each
other in rows containing up to 50 eggs . they are first a bluish green in colour but turn to dark brown after a few days and later
become reddish brown . they hatch in 10 - 14 days . when hatched the caterpillars 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 . it has little economic importance .
a fully grown caterpillar is 20 - 30 mm long and can reach this stage within four weeks of hatching . when fully grown the caterpillar descends to the ground on a silken thread and pupates either on or just inside the litter layer in a loose cocoon usually incorporating dead leaf or needle fragments . pupation lasts for at least four weeks . it is thought that there is only one main generation per year .
fully grown caterpillars are about 30–40 mm long . the colouration is extremely variable ranging from almost black , through red , to pale green . it has four pairs of stout abdominal prolegs .
the caterpillars are frequently striped with dark and light longitudinal lines . along the middle of the back there is often a white stripe , flanked by two broken white lines . the lateral white line has prominent black spiracles ( breathing pores ) on it .
© copyright 2008 - 2018 - t . e . r : r . a . i . n . all rights reserved . last update : 05 - mar - 16 . site designed & hosted by smokeylemon .