''Amastus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s in the family

Erebidae The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth groups. The family includes the underwings ('' Catocala'') ...

. The genus was erected by Francis Walker in 1855.

Taxonomy

The delimitation of ''Amastus'' versus ''

Hemihyalea ''Hemihyalea'' is a monotypic moth genus in the family Erebidae erected by George Hampson in 1901. Its only species, ''Hemihyalea cornea'', was first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1853. Taxonomy The type species, ''H ...

'' has long been problematic. It was recently determined that the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

of ''Hemihyalea'' (the old ''

Phaegoptera cornea ''Hemihyalea'' is a monotypic moth genus in the family Erebidae erected by George Hampson in 1901. Its only species, ''Hemihyalea cornea'', was first described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1853. Taxonomy The type species, ''H ...

'') is so closely related to that of ''Amastus'' ('' P. collaris'') as to warrant inclusion in the present genus. That determination led to the reestablishment of the genus '' Pseudohemihyalea'' for the more distantly related group of species around '' "Hemihyalea" schausi''. There is no consensus yet on whether to include the remaining ''Hemihyalea'' species in ''Amastus''.Pitkin & Jenkins (2004ab), Schmidt (2009)

Selected species

Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of ''Amastus'' include: * '' Amastis aconia'' (Herrich-Schäffer 1853) * '' Amastus bicolor'' (Maassen, 1890) * '' Amastus cellularis'' Rothschild, 1922 * ''

Amastus collaris ''Amastus collaris'' is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Gottlieb August Wilhelm Herrich-Schäffer in 1853. It is found in Venezuela, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. Subspecies *''Amastus collaris collaris'' (Venezuela) *''Amastus c ...

'' (Herrich-Schäffer,

853 __NOTOC__ Year 853 ( DCCCLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * May 22 – A Byzantine fleet (85 ships and 5,000 men) sacks and d ...

* ''

Amastus maasseni ''Amastus maasseni'' is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by Walter Rothschild in 1909. It is found in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol ...

'' (Rothschild, 1909) * '' Amastus modesta'' (Maassen, 1890) * ''

Amastus mossi ''Amastus mossi'' is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Walter Rothschild in 1922. It is found in Peru and Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ...

'' (Rothschild, 1922) * ''

Amastus muscosa ''Amastus muscosa'' is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae first described by Walter Rothschild in 1909. It is found in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbo ...

'' (Rothschild, 1909) * ''

Amastus rubicundus ''Amastus rubicundus'' is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by Hervé de Toulgoët in 1981. It is found in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symb ...

'' (Toulgoët, 1981) * ''

Amastus rufocinnamomea ''Amastus rufocinnamomea'' is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by Walter Rothschild in 1909. It is found in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_sy ...

'' (Rothschild, 1909) * '' Amastus rufothorax'' Toulgoët, 1999 * ''

Amastus umber ''Amastus umber'' is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by Walter Rothschild in 1909. It is found in Venezuela. References Moths described in 1909 umber Umber is a natural brown earth pigment that contains iron oxide and manga ...

'' Rothschild, 1909 * ''

Amastus walkeri ''Amastus walkeri'' is a moth of the family Erebidae. It was described by Walter Rothschild in 1922. It is found in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol ...

'' (Rothschild, 1922) ''"A." lehmanni'' as described by

Walter Rothschild Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild, (8 February 1868 – 27 August 1937) was a British banker, politician, zoologist and soldier, who was a member of the Rothschild family. As a Zionist leader, he was present ...

in 1910 is now in ''

Opharus ''Opharus'' is a genus of moths in the family Erebidae. The genus was erected by Francis Walker in 1855. Species *'' Opharus aeschista'' (Dognin, 1911) *'' Opharus agramma'' (Dognin, 1906) *'' Opharus albiceps'' (Dognin, 1901) *'' Opharus albi ...

''. The

homonymous In linguistics, homonyms are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation), or homophones (equivocal words, that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both. Using this definition, ...

species described by Rothschild in 1916, now renamed '' "A." popayanensis'', is one of those disputed between ''Amastus'' and ''Hemihyalea''.

Footnotes

References

* * *Schmidt, B. Christian. (2009)
"Revision of the ''"Aemilia" ambigua'' (Strecker) species-group (Noctuidae, Arctiinae)"
''

ZooKeys ''ZooKeys'' is a peer-reviewed open access scientific journal covering zoological taxonomy, phylogeny, and biogeography. It was established in 2008 and the editor-in-chief is Terry Erwin (Smithsonian Institution). It is published by Pensoft Publ ...

''. 9: 63-78.

External links

* * {{Taxonbar , from=Q13528408 Phaegopterina Moth genera