Declana floccosa
Template:Short description Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Speciesbox Declana floccosa, the forest semilooper or manuka moth is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is endemic to New Zealand.[1] It was first described by Francis Walker in 1863 using specimens obtained from Colonel Bolton.[2]
The wingspan of this species is 27–35 mm and is extremely variable in colour and patterning.[3][4][5]
The larvae feed on a wide range of native and exotic broad-leaved and coniferous shrubs and trees.[6] Exotic hosts include Pinus radiata and other Pinus species, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Larix and Eucalyptus.[3] Native hosts include Muehlenbeckia australis.[7]
Population decline and recovery
A longitudinal study from 1974 to 2016 indicated the population of this moth declined sharply in the study area in the mid-1980s but began to recover in the late 1990s.[5] It has been hypothesised that the arrival of Vespula vulgaris in New Zealand might be the cause of the population decline.[5] It was also hypothesised that the recovery in population may have been brought about as a result of the extended emergence period of this moth which gave those moths emerging later in the season the ability to avoid predation by wasps.[5]
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c d Template:Cite Q
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
Script error: No such module "Side box". Script error: No such module "Side box".