''Chedra'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of tiny

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, belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Batrachedridae The Batrachedridae are a small family of tiny moths. These are small, slender moths which rest with their wings wrapped tightly around their bodies. Taxonomy The taxonomy of this and related groups is often disputed. This group was first propos ...

Taxonomy

Ron Hodges Ronald Wray Hodges (born June 22, 1949) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball, who spent his entire 12-year career with the New York Mets. Hodges was originally draft (sports), drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the sixth round of the 19 ...

created the genus in 1966 to accommodate three new species: two from North America and one from

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. These he found very similar to the genus ''

Batrachedra ''Batrachedra'' is the largest genus in the moth family Batrachedridae, with representatives all over the world. The early stages of most species are unknown. The genus name is derived from the Greek words ''batrachos'', 'frog', and ''edra'', 'se ...

'', but distinct on the basis of the adult males possessing a "single, strong,

apical Apical means "pertaining to an apex". It may refer to: *Apical ancestor, refers to the last common ancestor of an entire group, such as a species (biology) or a clan (anthropology) *Apical (anatomy), an anatomical term of location for features loc ...

spine on the

ampulla An ampulla (; ) was, in Ancient Rome, a small round vessel, usually made of glass and with two handles, used for sacred purposes. The word is used of these in archaeology, and of later flasks, often handle-less and much flatter, for holy water or ...

" (also known as the

harpe The ''harpē'' () was a type of sword or sickle; a sword with a sickle protrusion along one edge near the tip of the blade. The harpe is mentioned in Greek and Roman sources, and almost always in mythological contexts. Harpe in mythology T ...

), the females he distinguished from those of ''Batrachedra'' by the "presence of long apophyses" and the "absence of a signum and accessory pouches, and the corpus bursae being poorly set off from the ductus bursae". At the time Hodges initially classified the genus in the family

Gelechioidea __NOTOC__ Gelechioidea (from the type genus ''Gelechia ''Gelechia'' is a genus of moths in the family Gelechiidae. The type species is '' Gelechia rhombella''. Species *Subgenus ''Gelechia'' **'' Gelechia asinella'' (Hubner, 1796) **'' Gel ...

. Hodges designated as

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 specime ...

'' Chedra pensor''. Elwood Zimmerman included it in his subfamily Momphinae of the family

Gelechiidae The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable d ...

in his 1978 treatment of the

microlepidoptera Microlepidoptera (micromoths) is an artificial (i.e., unranked and not monophyletic) grouping of moth families, commonly known as the 'smaller moths' (micro, Lepidoptera). These generally have wingspans of under 20 mm, and are thus harder to ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. He expanded the genus be adding two more species, the first by moving a species from ''Batrachedra'' to ''Chedra'', the second upon discovery of a new species among the already collected specimens of the first species after closer examination of the

type series In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes t ...

. Hodges included the genus in the family

in the 1978 ''The moths of America north of Mexico'', he included it in subfamily Batrachedrinae of the family

Coleophoridae __NOTOC__ The Coleophoridae are a family of small moths, belonging to the huge superfamily Gelechioidea. Collectively known as case-bearers, casebearing moths or case moths, this family is represented on all continents, but the majority are foun ...

in his 1983 ''Check List of the Lepidoptera of America North of Mexico'', but in 1999 he re-classified the genus in his newly re-described subfamily Batrachedrinae, with the same name as earlier, but now within the family Batrachedridae. The Global Lepidoptera Names Index of the

Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...

classifies the genus in the family Coleophoridae, although references are not provided to substantiate this placement. Last updated by Alessandro Giusti - 6 July 2004

Etymology

The

etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

of the name for the genus ''Batrachedra'' is from two words, 'bactrach' is derived from ''batrachos'', a frog, and ''edra'', a seat (which refers to the particular resting position of the

imago In biology, the imago (Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis, its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage, the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the f ...

es). Hodges created the name ''Chedra'' as a derivative of that, but it means nothing, and is thus a "nonsense name" in the sense of

Edward Meyrick Edward Meyrick (25 November 1854, in Ramsbury – 31 March 1938, at Thornhanger, Marlborough) was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern m ...

Species

It is unclear how many species exist of this genus, but the following have been named: *'' Chedra delector'' Hodges, 1966 -

*'' Chedra fimbristyli'' Mey, 1993 - The

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

& , 1993: ''Chedra fimbristyli'' n. sp. ein minierender Kleinschmetterling an ''Fimbrystylis'' ssp (Cyperaceae) auf Leyte, Philippinen (Lepidoptera: Batrachedridae). ''Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift'' N.F. 40(1): 181-186. Abstract: *'' Chedra inquisitor'' Hodges, 1966 - Eastern North America (type specimens were collected in central

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

) *''

Chedra microstigma ''Chedra microstigma'' is a tiny moth of the family Batrachedridae described in 1907. It has only been found on Oahu. It has been found feeding on sedges, plants belonging to the Cyperaceae family, and its larvae host at least three species of pa ...

'' ( Walsingham, 1907) -

*'' Chedra mimica'' Zimmerman, 1978 - Hawaii *'' Chedra pensor'' Hodges, 1966 -

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 ...

, specimens have also recently been collected in Illinois

Ecology

In ''Chedra delector'' the caterpillars feed upon the seeds of Cyperaceae, those of ''C. fimbristyli''

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...

within the leaves of a species of '' Fimbristylis'' in the family Cyperaceae, and those of ''C. microstigma'' have been found mining in the leaves of '' Cyperus laevigatus'' and '' Scirpus maritimus'', also plants of the family Cyperaceae.

Uses

''Chedra fimbristyli'' is a nuisance species in a minor traditional fibre plant locally used in the Philippines.

References

Batrachedridae {{Batrachedridae-stub