Ichneutica notata
Ichneutica notata is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is endemic to New Zealand. Although similar in appearance to other species in the "Ichneutica" genus, it can be distinguished by the colouration and patterns on its wings. It appears to be a very local species, rarely collected and having only been recorded in the north-west of the Tasman District, the Paproa Range, the Rainbow Ski field and the Craigieburn Range. Very little is known of the life history of "I. notata". Taxonomy. This species was first described by John T. Salmon in 1946. Salmon described this  species using two specimens, a male collected by Augustus Hamilton at Mount Peel, in the Tasman district in December 1910, and a female specimen Salmon himself had collected at Homer in Fiordland. The male specimen had been previously and incorrectly identified as "Ichneutica lata." However, as Hoare points out, the female specimen used by Salmon is a specimen of "I. marmorata". With no holotype specimen designated in the original paper by Salmon, Hoare designated the male specimen used by Salmon as the lectotype of this species. This specimen is held in the entomological collections at the Museum of New Zealand  Te Papa Tongarewa. Description. The male lectotype specimen of "I. notata" was used by George Hudson in his 1928 book "The butterflies and moths of New Zealand" to describe and depict "Ichneutic lata". He described the above specimen as follows: This species can be distinguished from several species of similar appearance (such as "I. eris" and "I. marmorata") as it has a slight green hue to its forewings. It can be distinguished from the similarly coloured "I. cana" specimens as these lack the pale elongated spot or mark on the forewings of "I. notata". The male of "I. notata" has  a wingspan of between 34 and 41 mm and the female has a wingspan of 47 mm. Distribution. "I. notata" is regarded as being restricted in its distribution and has only been found in the north-west portion of the Tasman District, in the Paparoa Range, in the Rainbow Ski Area, and in the Craigieburn Range. Habitat. "I. notata" prefers hilly alpine habitat. Life history. Little is know about the life history of this species. However pupae have been collected in short grass and pupae have also been reared in bare soil. Behaviour. The adults of the species are on  the wing from late November to early January.