Ichneutica maya

This species was first described by George Hudson in 1898 from a specimen collected on Mount Arthur and named Melanchra maya.[4] The male holotype specimen is held at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.[2] In 1988 J. S. Dugdale placed this species into the Graphania genus.[5] In 2019 Robert Hoare undertook a major review of New Zealand Noctuidae.[2] During this review the genus Ichneutica was greatly expanded and the genus Graphania was subsumed into that genus as a synonym.[2] As a result of this review, this species is now known as Ichneutica maya.[2]

Drawing by George Hudson of a female I. maya

Hudson described the species as follows:

The expansion of the wings is 1+5⁄8 inches. The fore-wings are bright yellowish-brown, paler towards the apex ; there are two broad, shaded, black stripes at the base, one near the middle edged with yellow above, and one below the middle edged with yellow beneath; the orbicular is oval, oblique, edged with black except towards the costa : the claviform is rather irregular, dark purplish-brown : the reniform is very large, dark purplish-brown edged with black ; there is a large elongate patch of very dark brown at the tornus, partly edged first with yellow and thru with black; another smaller patch is situated on the termen near the middle, bisected by a tine yellow line. The hind-wings are grey; the cilia of all the wings are yellowish-brown. The head and thorax are purplish-brown, the abdomen dull brownish-grey.[4]

I. maya is a distinctively coloured and patterned moth and as such is unlikely to be confused with similar species.[2] The adult male of this species has a wingspan of between 37 and 43 mm and the female has a wingspan of between 37 and 43 mm.[2]

It is endemic to New Zealand.[6] This species is found in the mountains in southern half of the North Island and in the South Island.[2]

This species can be found in alpine to subalpine locations with high rainfall, although in Southland this species can be found down at sea level.[2]

The adults of this species are on the wing from December to March.[2] Adults are attracted to both sugar and light traps and have been witnessed feeding on Hebe blossom.[2]

Poa annua, a species used to rear larvae of I. maya

This life history in the wild of this species is unknown, nor has its larval host species been confirmed.[2] However Brian Patrick has attempted to rear this species from egg.[2] He fed the larvae on plant species in genus Luzula and on Poa annua.[2] Patrick describes the eggs of this species as being light green in colour and laid in a group, and the larvae as having a bright green colour with the upper side of the caterpillar being smeared with a grey pattern and a white line on the side of the body.[2] Patrick was unsuccessful in rearing the larvae to adulthood.[2]