Nyctemera annulata
Encyclopedia
Nyctemera annulata, commonly known as the Magpie Moth, is a moth
of the Arctiidae
family. It is endemic to New Zealand
. The subspecies A. annulata antipodea is found on New Zealand's Antipodes Islands
.
Its liking for the introduced ragwort causes its caterpillars to be sometimes mis-identified as those of the Cinnabar moth which was introduced as a biological control for ragwort. The magpie moth’s ‘woolly bear’ caterpillars are predominantly black with yellowish-orange stripes running along the length of their bodies and have long black bristles, whereas by contrast cinnabar caterpillars have smooth bodies and alternating yellow- and black-coloured rings around their bodies.
Nyctemera annulata is closely related to Nyctemera amica, which also occurs in New Zealand. The two species are able to interbreed.
The wingspan
is about 40 mm. It is a day-flying species.
The larvae feed on Ragwort, rangiora, cineraria, groundsel.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Arctiidae
Arctiidae
Arctiidae is a large and diverse family of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This family includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths , which usually have bright colours, footmen , lichen moths and wasp moths...
family. It is endemic to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The subspecies A. annulata antipodea is found on New Zealand's Antipodes Islands
Antipodes Islands
The Antipodes Islands are inhospitable volcanic islands to the south of—and territorially part of—New Zealand...
.
Its liking for the introduced ragwort causes its caterpillars to be sometimes mis-identified as those of the Cinnabar moth which was introduced as a biological control for ragwort. The magpie moth’s ‘woolly bear’ caterpillars are predominantly black with yellowish-orange stripes running along the length of their bodies and have long black bristles, whereas by contrast cinnabar caterpillars have smooth bodies and alternating yellow- and black-coloured rings around their bodies.
Nyctemera annulata is closely related to Nyctemera amica, which also occurs in New Zealand. The two species are able to interbreed.
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is about 40 mm. It is a day-flying species.
The larvae feed on Ragwort, rangiora, cineraria, groundsel.
Subspecies
- Nyctemera annulata annulata (New Zealand)
- Nyctemera annulata antipodea (Antipodes Islands)