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Anisodes samoana

Geometrid Moth

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Male	86KB
Image:	Male - colour variation	57KB
Image:	Adult (female)	38KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Geometrid Moth

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: Vanuatu / New Caledonia - French Polynesia

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; S.Group only; Land, lowlands and upland

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Pest

KEY FEATURES: Small moth (8-9mmTL) buff with greyish brown lines and dark brown spots.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Anisodes samoana (Warren)
SYNONYMS: Anisodes (Xenoprora) samoana

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Lepidoptera; GEOMETRIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: Small moth (8-9mmTL) buff with greyish brown lines and dark brown spots. Body slender. Fore wings broad triangular, buff with 5 grey lines crossing wing in well marked specimens; scattered spots which, in distal part of wing, form 2 rows of cell spots. Hind wings as fore wings; in males a distinct cell spot present which appears to be absent in females; underside similar but paler. Underside paler with less markings, those present same as upper surface. Head, Thorax, Abdomen and Legs colour as wings. Antennae buff, feathered in males, threadlike in females.

GENERAL NOTE: Caterpillar a looper (lacking prolegs on abdominal segments 3-5); polyphagous (feeding on a wide variety of tree spp). Adult nocturnal.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: BESO99, specimen #81, 372, 502, ID J.Dugdale 4/2000.

References:
Special Reference: PM79

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM05a, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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