Ephestris

Ephestris is a monotypic tiger moth genus in the family Erebidae. It contains the single species Ephestris melaxantha. Both the genus and species were first described by Jacob Hübner, the genus in 1820 and the species in 1809.[2]

Ephestris
Mounted specimen on display at the Civico Museo di Storia Naturale di Trieste
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Noctuoidea
Family: Erebidae
Subfamily: Arctiinae
Genus: Ephestris
Hübner, [1820]
Species:
E. melaxantha
Binomial name
Ephestris melaxantha
(Hübner, [1809])
Synonyms[1]

Generic

  • Lama Walker, 1869 (preocc. Cuvier, 1800)

Specific

  • Hypocrita melaxantha Hübner, [1809]
  • Hypocrita superba Hübner, [1809]

Etymology

The specific name melaxantha derives from the Greek μελανός (melanós) meaning "black" and xanthus, meaning "golden haired" or "yellow", with reference to the striking coloration of the wings, probably a warning to predators.[3]

Description

Ephestris melaxantha has a wingspan of about 70 millimetres (2.8 in).[4] Despite being a moth, it has diurnal behavior.

Distribution

This species is native to Brazil and the tropical regions of South America.[3][5]

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References
  1. A Synonymic Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera. (Moths): Vol. 1. Sphinges and Bombyces. - via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  2. Beccaloni, G.; Scoble, M.; Kitching, I.; Simonsen, T.; Robinson, G.; Pitkin, B.; Hine, A.; Lyal, C., eds. (2003). "Ephestris". The Global Lepidoptera Names Index. Natural History Museum. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  3. "Efestris (Ephestris melaxantha)". Didactalia.
  4. Alekseev, V. N. & Babenko, V. G. Бабочки [Butterflies]. (in Russian)
  5. Savela, Markku. "Ephestris Hübner, [1820]". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved September 6, 2019.


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