Ephestris

Ephestris
Ephestris melaxantha. Mounted specimen on display at the Civico Museo di Storia Naturale di Trieste
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Clade:Euarthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Superfamily:Noctuoidea
Family:Erebidae
Genus:Ephestris
Hübner, [1820]
Species: E. melaxantha
Binomial name
Ephestris melaxantha
(Hübner, [1809])
Synonyms
  • Lama Walker, 1869 (preocc. Cuvier, 1800)
  • Hypocrita melaxantha Hübner, [1809]
  • Hypocrita superba Hübner, [1809][1]

Ephestris is a genus of tiger moths in the Erebidae family. It contains the single species Ephestris melaxantha.[2]

Etymology

The species name melaxantha derives from the Greek μελανός 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 behaviour.

Distribution

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

References

  1. ↑ Biodiversity 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. 1 2 Didactalia.net
  4. ↑ Alekseev VN, Babenko VG Butterflies
  5. ↑ Ephestris at funet


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