''Axia'', the gold moths, is a genus of

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 whose precise relationships within the

macrolepidoptera Macrolepidoptera is a group within the insect order Lepidoptera. Traditionally used for the larger butterflies and moths as opposed to the "microlepidoptera", this group is artificial. However, it seems that by moving some taxa about, a monoph ...

are currently uncertain, but they currently are placed within the superfamily

Drepanoidea Drepanoidea is the superfamily of "hook tip moths". See Minet and Scoble (1999) for a comprehensive overview. References * Minet, J. and Scoble, M.J. (1999). The Drepanoid/Geometroid Assemblage. Ch. 17 in Kristensen, N.P. (Ed.). ''Lepidoptera, ...

. Uniquely, they have a pair of pocket-like organs on the seventh abdominal

spiracle Spiracle or spiraculum may refer to: * Spiracle (arthropods), opening in the exoskeletons of some arthropods * Spiracle (vertebrates), openings on the surface of some vertebrates * Spiraculum, a genus of land snails in family Cyclophoridae Cycl ...

of the adult moth which are possibly sound receptive organs. They are quite large and brightly coloured moths that occur only in southern Europe and feed on species of ''

Euphorbia ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

''. Sometimes they are attracted to light. The genus was first described by

Jacob Hübner Jacob Hübner (20 June 1761 – 13 September 1826, in Augsburg) was a German entomologist. He was the author of ''Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge'' (1796–1805), a founding work of entomology. Scientific career Hübner was the author of '' ...

in 1821. One species, ''

Epicimelia theresiae ''Epicimelia'' is a monotypic moth genus in the family Cimeliidae first described by Maximilian Korb in 1900. Its only species, ''Epicimelia theresiae'', described by the same author in the same year, is found in Turkey and Iran Iran, ...

'', was formerly included in this genus, but has since been recognized as distinct; it represents the only other described genus in the family.
Shen-Horn Yen and Joël Minet (2007) Cimelioidea: A New Superfamily Name for the Gold Moths (Lepidoptera: Glossata). ''Zoological Studies'' 46(3): 262-271

Species

*'' Axia margarita'' (Hübner, 1813) *'' Axia napoleona'' Schawerda, 1926 *'' Axia nesiota'' Reisser, 1962 *'' Axia olga'' (Staudinger, 1899) *'' Axia vaulogeri'' Staudinger, 1892

References

Sources

*De Freina, J.J. & Witt, T.J, (1987) ''Die Bombyces und Sphinges der Westpalearktis''.; *''Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders'', edited by Christopher O'Toole, , 2002

External links

* Cimeliidae Taxa named by Jacob Hübner {{moth-stub