''Oligocentria pinalensis'', the Arizona prominent, is a moth of the family
Notodontidae
Notodontidae is a family of moths with approximately 3,800 known species. The family was described by James Francis Stephens in 1829. Moths of this family are found in all parts of the world, but they are most concentrated in tropical areas, espe ...
. It is only found within the
Pinal Mountains
The Pinal Mountains (Yavapai: Walkame – "pine mountains", Western Apache: Dził Nnilchí' Diyiléé – "pine-burdened mountain") are a mountain range located in Gila County, Arizona. They have a maximum elevation of at Pinal Peak and a promine ...
of central
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. Due to its extremely limited known range, ''Oligocentria pinalensis'' is at a high risk of becoming extinct from isolated events, such as a forest fire. There is not enough current population data to make a full conclusion of its present status. Although it has been listed by the
NatureServe conservation status
The NatureServe conservation status system, maintained and presented by NatureServe in cooperation with the Natural Heritage Network, was developed in the United States in the 1980s by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as a means for ranking or catego ...
as "GH" or possibly extinct, date of listing of status was 2002. The species was first described by F.H. Benjamin, a pan-pacific
entomologist
Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...
, in a publication from 1932.
Description
''Oligocentria pinalensis'' has been described as a medium to large sized moth, with a long forewing that typically extends two times longer than the hindwing and has a stout body for its wing size. The head has scale tufts and the antennae are bispectinate on males and filiform in females. They have a well developed proboscis that is coiled and their abdomen is densely covered in long slender scales and tufts. They are dull-colored, usually being brown, tan or gray or varying mixtures of the three colors. The larvae have bare stout bodies, and have two MD setae above their spiracle on their abdomen, versus the usual one for other members of ''
Oligocentria
''Oligocentria'' is a genus of moths in the family Notodontidae, the prominents.
Species include:
Range
The only known range of the moth is the
Pinal Mountains
The Pinal Mountains (Yavapai: Walkame – "pine mountains", Western Apache: Dził Nnilchí' Diyiléé – "pine-burdened mountain") are a mountain range located in Gila County, Arizona. They have a maximum elevation of at Pinal Peak and a promine ...
in Gila County, Arizona, a mountain range that covers approximately 45,760 acres.