''Ephestris'' is a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
tiger moth
The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...
genus in the family
Erebidae. It contains the single species ''Ephestris melaxantha''. Both the genus and species were
first described by
Jacob Hübner, the genus in 1820 and the species in 1809.
Etymology
The
specific name ''melaxantha'' derives from the Greek μελανός (''melanós'') meaning "black" and ''xanthus'', meaning "golden haired" or "yellow", with reference to the striking coloration of the wings, probably a warning to predators.
["''Efestris'' (''Ephestris melaxantha'')"]
''Didactalia''.
Description
''Ephestris melaxantha'' has a wingspan of about .
[Alekseev, V. N. & Babenko, V. G]
''Бабочки''
utterflies Despite being a moth, it has
diurnal behavior.
Distribution
This species is native to
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and the tropical regions of South America.
References
External links
Insecta-web
Pericopina
Monotypic moth genera
Moths of South America
{{Pericopina-stub