Heloxycanus | |
---|---|
Female specimen. | |
Male specimen. | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Hepialidae |
Genus: |
Heloxycanus Dugdale, 1994 |
Species: | H. patricki |
Binomial name | |
Heloxycanus patricki Dugdale, 1994 |
Heloxycanus patricki is a species of moth of the family Hepialidae, the only member of the genus Heloxycanus. Its common names are ghost moth and sphagnum porina moth. The species is named for its discoverer, entomologist Brian Patrick. It is found in Sphagnum and other moss bogs in the southern part of the South Island of New Zealand. Its life cycle runs in two year cycles with peak numbers of adults occurring in odd-numbered years.