An account of this species appears in Ent. Rec. 1954 66:20 as follows:
"Capture of a New Zealand Agrotid in England - my friend, Mr J.N. Thornton of Leeds has sent me a specimen of the Noctuid Graphania dives Philpott, which was taken alive on Spurn Head, Yorkshire. As far as he can remember it was on a warm afternoon in July 1950. Mr W. H. T. Tams has kindly identified the specimen for me, which he states is a New Zealand species - S. Gordon Smith, Estyn, Boughton, Chester.
The record also appears in MBGBI Vol 9, p274 (as Graphania dives), with the comment "This example, which was not identified for some time, may have been accidentally introduced, perhaps from a passing ship."
The specimen resides in the BMNH and at a rather late stage of the proceedings was re-examined by Martin Honey. He concluded that it was not G. dives but was instead Graphania averilla - see Sean Clancy's Moths of Great Britain and Ireland 2012 p600. According to Wikipedia however, in 2019 Robert Hoare undertook a major review of New Zealand Noctuidae. During this review the genus Ichneutica was greatly expanded and the genus Graphania was subsumed into that genus as a synonym. As a result of this review, this species should now be known as Ichneutica averilla.
The specific name averilla refers to Averil Lysaght. In 1920 she was only 15 when she found a new species of noctuid moth on Mount Taranaki (formerly Mount Egmont). Originally labelled Melanchra averilla it was recorded in Entomologist's Monthly Magazine (1921 p255) that "two female specimens were captured by Miss Averil Lysaght in December last at an altitude of 3000 feet above the sea level". It is found in North Island, but only in the Mount Taranaki area. It is also is widespread throughout South Island.
How on earth it got to Spurn is one of life's great mysteries!
Retained Specimen / Photograph will be Required.
Recorded in 1 (1%) of 200 10k Squares. First Recorded in 1950. Last Recorded in 1950. Additional Stats
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