Eudonia ustiramis

This species was described by Edward Meyrick in 1931 using a specimen collected by S.C. Patterson in Whangārei in January and named Scoparia ustiramis.{{Cite journal|last=Meyrick|first=E.|date=1931|title=New species of New Zealand Lepidoptera.|url=http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_62/rsnz_62_00_001380.html|journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand|volume=62|pages=92–97|via=National Library of New Zealand}}{{cite journal|last1=Dugdale|first1=J. S.|title=Lepidoptera - annotated catalogue, and keys to family-group taxa|journal=Fauna of New Zealand|date=1988|volume=14|page=158|url=https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/26324/FNZ14Dugdale1988.pdf|access-date=27 January 2018|archive-date=27 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127012448/https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/26324/FNZ14Dugdale1988.pdf|url-status=dead}} George Hudson discussed and illustrated this species in his 1939 book A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand.{{cite book|url=http://www.bugz.org.nz/WebForms/ResultDetails.aspx?CurrentDoc=4A102474-EF01-4089-A31A-A1FE7E551E52&back=true&NewDoc=true&searchType=1&SearchString=Hudson|title=A supplement to the butterflies and moths of New Zealand.|last1=Hudson|first1=G. V.|date=1939|publisher=Ferguson & Osborn Ltd|location=Wellington|page=423|oclc=221041540|author-link=George Hudson (entomologist)|access-date=4 June 2018}} In 1988 John S. Dugdale assigned this species to the genus Eudonia. The holotype specimen is held at the Natural History Museum, London.

Meyrick described the species as follows:

{{blockquote|♂ 16 mm. Head, thorax grey mixed white. Palpi dark grey, apical edge white. Forewings elongate-triangular, termen slightly rounded, oblique; grey, costal and dorsal thirds suffusedly irrorated white; an irregular streak of black irroration beneath cell from base to end; a slenderer black streak in cell from middle to end, terminating in a white dot on angle of cell, and five rather irregular black lines on veins to termen, black dots on ends of terminal veins: cilia whitish-grey, a light grey subbasal line. Hindwings light grey; cilia pale grey, a darker subbasal shade.}}The wing pattern of this species is variable and the holotype has strong dark longitudinal streaks on its forewings.{{Cite web|url=https://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/resources/identification/animals/large-moths/image-gallery/pyraloid-moths/notes-on-scopariinae|title=Larger moths of New Zealand: Image gallery and online guide. : Notes on Scopariinae|last=Hoare|first=R. J. B.|last2=Rhode|first2=B. E.|date=2012|website=www.landcareresearch.co.nz|access-date=4 June 2018|last3=Emmerson|first3=A. W.}} Other specimens of this species have been confirmed through the comparison of male genitalia.

This species is endemic to New Zealand.{{Cite Q|Q45922947|page=458}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nzor.org.nz/names/fa010449-3218-4679-8b6d-31a2da6d7133|title=Eudonia ustiramis (Meyrick, 1931)|website=www.nzor.org.nz|publisher=Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd|access-date=27 January 2018}} For many years this species was only known from its type locality. However, in recent years it has been identified as a very locally common species of Northland and Auckland.

This species is known to inhabit gumland heaths.

This species has been classified as having the "Data Deficient" conservation status under the New Zealand Threat Classification System.{{Cite journal|last=Hoare|first=R.J.B.|last2=Dugdale|first2=J.S.|last3=Edwards|first3=E.D.|last4=Gibbs|first4=G.W.|last5=Patrick|first5=B.H.|last6=Hitchmough|first6=R.A.|last7=Rolfe|first7=J.R.|date=2017|title=Conservation status of New Zealand butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), 2015|url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/science-and-technical/nztcs20entire.pdf|journal=New Zealand Threat Classification Series|volume=20|page=8}}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100518141445/http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/invertebrates/lepidoptera/cgi-bin/bug.pl?1525065%3F18500.0000 Image of holotype specimen.]

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Category:Moths described in 1931

ustiramis

Category:Moths of New Zealand

Category:Endemic fauna of New Zealand

Category:Taxa named by Edward Meyrick

Category:Endemic moths of New Zealand

{{Scopariinae-stub}}