''Epicephala'' (leafflower moths) is a genus of
moths in the family
Gracillariidae.
''Epicephala'' is of note in the fields of
pollination biology
Anthecology, or pollination biology, is the study of pollination as well as the relationships between flowers and their pollinators. Floral biology is a bigger field that includes these studies. Most flowering plants, or angiosperms, are pollinate ...
and
coevolution
In biology, coevolution occurs when two or more species reciprocally affect each other's evolution through the process of natural selection. The term sometimes is used for two traits in the same species affecting each other's evolution, as well ...
because many species in this genus are pollinators of plants in the genera ''
Glochidion'', ''
Phyllanthus'', and ''
Breynia
''Breynia'' is a plant genus in the family Phyllanthaceae, first described in 1776. It is native to Southeast Asia, China, the Indian Subcontinent, Papuasia, Australia, and the island of Réunion.
The name ''Breynia'' is a conserved name, it ...
'' (
Phyllanthaceae). These pollinating ''Epicephala'' actively pollinate the flowers of their host plants—thereby ensuring that the plants may produce viable seeds—but also lay eggs in the flowers' ovaries, where their larvae consume a subset of the developing seeds as nourishment.
[Kawakita, A.; Kato, M. (2009) "Repeated independent evolution of obligate pollination mutualism in the Phyllantheae-''Epicephala'' association." ''Proceedings of the Royal Society B.'' 276: 417–426.] This relationship is similar to other specialized pollinating seed-predation
mutualisms such as those between
figs and
fig wasps and
yuccas and
yucca moths.
Other species of ''Epicephala'' consume the seeds of species of ''
Phyllanthus'' or ''
Flueggea'' (
Phyllanthaceae) as larvae, but do not pollinate their host plants as adults.
At least some of these species have evolved from pollinating ancestors.
[Kawakita, A.; Kato, M. 2009. "Repeated independent evolution of obligate pollination mutualism in the Phyllantheae-''Epicephala'' association." ''Proceedings of the Royal Society B.'' 276: 417–426.]
Species
*''
Epicephala acrobaphes
''Epicephala acrobaphes'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = ...
''
(Turner, 1900)
*''
Epicephala acrocarpa''
Meyrick, 1927
*''
Epicephala albifrons
''Epicephala albifrons'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from India (Karnataka, West Bengal and Kerala), Indonesia (Buru), Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
The larvae feed on ''Phyllanthus'' species, including ''Phyllanthus n ...
''
(Stainton, 1859)
*''
Epicephala albistriatella
''Epicephala albistriatella'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_ty ...
''
(Turner, 1894)
*''
Epicephala ancistropis''
Meyrick, 1935
*''
Epicephala ancylopa''
Meyrick, 1918
*''
Epicephala angustisaccula
''Epicephala angustisaccula'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population ex ...
''
Li, 2015
*''
Epicephala anthophilia
''Epicephala anthophilia'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found on a few islands with high elevation in the Ryukyu Archipelago
(Amami Island and Okinawa Island). The host plant, ''Glochidion acuminatum'' is distributed throughout ...
''
Kawakita A, Kato M, 2016
*''
Epicephala australis
''Epicephala australis'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Queensland, Australia.
The larvae feed on ''Acacia longifolia''. They probably mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Miner, ...
''
(Turner, 1896)
*''
Epicephala bathrobaphes
''Epicephala bathrobaphes'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type ...
''
Turner, 1947
*''
Epicephala bipollenella
''Epicephala bipollenella'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in Fujian, ChinaZhang, J., Hu, B., Wang, S. & Li, H. (2012). "Six new species of ''Epicephala'' Meyrick, 1880 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) associated with Phyllant ...
''
Zhang, Hu, Wang & Li, 2012[Zhang, J., Hu, B., Wang, S. & Li, H. (2012). "Six new species of ''Epicephala'' Meyrick, 1880 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) associated with Phyllanthaceae plants." ''Zootaxa'' 3275: 43-54.]
*''
Epicephala bromias
''Epicephala bromias'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from West Bengal, India.
References
Epicephala
Moths of Asia
Moths described in 1910
{{Gracillariinae-stub ...
''
Meyrick, 1910
*''
Epicephala calasiris
''Epicephala calasiris'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Meghalaya, India.
References
Epicephala
Moths of Asia
Moths described in 1908
{{Gracillariinae-stub ...
''
Meyrick, 1908
*''
Epicephala camurella''
Li, 2015
*''
Epicephala colymbetella
''Epicephala colymbetella'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from the states of New South Wales and Queensland in Australia.
The larvae feed on ''Glochidion ferdinandi''. They feed in the seed capsules.
The related '' E. spin ...
''
Meyrick, 1880
*''
Epicephala corruptrix
''Epicephala corruptrix'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found on the Ryukyu Archipelago (Amami Island, Tokuno Island, Okinawa Island, Ishigaki Island and Iriomote Island).
The wingspan is 7.2–8.8 mm. The forewings are b ...
''
Kawakita A, Kato M, 2016
*''
Epicephala domina''
Li, 2015
*''
Epicephala epimicta
''Epicephala epimicta'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Queensland, Australia.
References
Epicephala
Moths described in 1913
{{Gracillariinae-stub ...
''
(Turner, 1913)
*''
Epicephala eriocarpa''
Zhang, Hu, Wang & Li, 2012
*''
Epicephala euchalina
''Epicephala euchalina'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English althoug ...
''
Meyrick, 1922
*''
Epicephala eugonia
''Epicephala eugonia'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Queensland, Australia.
References
Epicephala
Moths described in 1913
{{Gracillariinae-stub ...
''
Turner, 1913
*''
Epicephala exetastis
''Epicephala exetastis'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO () ...
''
Meyrick, 1908
*''
Epicephala flagellata''
Meyrick, 1908
*''
Epicephala frenata''
Meyrick, 1908
*''
Epicephala haplodoxa
''Epicephala haplodoxa'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from South Africa and Mozambique.
References
Epicephala
Moths of Sub-Saharan Africa
Lepidoptera of Mozambique
Lepidoptera of South Africa
Moths described i ...
''
Vári, 1961
*''
Epicephala homostola
''Epicephala homostola'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from South Africa and Namibia.
References
Epicephala
Moths of Africa
Insects of Namibia
Moths described in 1961
{{Gracillariinae-stub ...
''
Vári, 1961
*''
Epicephala impolliniferens''
Li, 2015
*''
Epicephala jansei''
Vári, 1961
*''
Epicephala laeviclada''
Li, 2015
*''
Epicephala lanceolaria
''Epicephala lanceolaria'' is a leafflower moth of the family Gracillariidae. The only known host of the larva is ''Glochidion lanceolarium'' which is pollination, pollinated by the imago (flying moth).
Distribution
The moth is endemism, endemic ...
''
Zhang, Hu, Wang & Li, 2012
*''
Epicephala lanceolatella''
Kawakita A, Kato M, 2016
*''
Epicephala lativalvaris''
Zhang, Hu, Wang & Li, 2012
*''
Epicephala lomatographa''
Turner, 1913
*''
Epicephala microcarpa
''Epicephala microcarpa'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae first described by Hou-Hun Li in 2015. It is found in the Chinese regions of Guangxi
Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gv ...
''
Li, 2015
*''
Epicephala mirivalvata''
Zhang, Hu, Wang & Li, 2012
*''
Epicephala nephelodes
''Epicephala nephelodes'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Queensland, Australia.
References
Epicephala
Moths described in 1913
{{Gracillariinae-stub ...
''
Turner, 1913
*''
Epicephala nudilingua''
Kawakita A, Kato M, 2016
*''
Epicephala obovatella''
Kawakita A, Kato M, 2016
*''
Epicephala orientale''
(Stainton, 1856)
*''
Epicephala parasitica
''Epicephala anthophilia'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found on the Ryukyu Archipelago.
The wingspan is 5.7–7.5 mm. The forewings of the females are dark brown with a narrow white band on the dorsum from the base t ...
''
Kawakita A, Kato M, 2016
*''
Epicephala pelopepla''
Vári, 1961
*''
Epicephala periplecta''
(Diakonoff, 1955)
*''
Epicephala perplexa''
Kawakita A, Kato M, 2016
*''
Epicephala pyrrhogastra''
Meyrick, 1908
*''
Epicephala relictella''
Kuznetzov, 1979
*''
Epicephala scythropis
''Epicephala scythropis'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from India and Myanmar.
The larvae feed on '' Phyllanthus'' species. They probably mine
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to:
Extraction or digging
* Min ...
''
Meyrick, 1930
*''
Epicephala sphenitis''
Meyrick, 1931
*''
Epicephala spinula
''Epicephala spinula'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae, one of the most primitive groups of ditrysian " micromoths". Within its family, it belongs to the subfamily Gracillariinae. Even though it was first scientifically studied in 1929 ...
''
Clarke, 1986
*''
Epicephala spumosa
''Epicephala spumosa'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Queensland, Australia.
References
Epicephala
Moths described in 1947
{{Gracillariinae-stub ...
''
Turner, 1947
*''
Epicephala squamella''
Kuznetzov & Baryshnikova, 2001
*''
Epicephala stauropa
''Epicephala stauropa'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Meghalaya, India.
References
Epicephala
Moths of Asia
Moths described in 1908
{{Gracillariinae-stub ...
''
Meyrick, 1908
*''
Epicephala strepsiploca''
Meyrick, 1918
*''
Epicephala subtilis''
Meyrick, 1922
*''
Epicephala tephrostola''
Vári, 1961
*''
Epicephala tertiaria
''Epicephala tertiaria'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae first described by Hou-Hun Li in 2015. It is found in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi.
The length of the forewings is 6−8.5 mm. The wings are brown to dark ...
''
Li, 2015
*''
Epicephala trigonophora
''Epicephala trigonophora'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from Queensland, New South Wales in Australia and from Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ...
''
(Turner, 1900)
*''
Epicephala venenata''
Meyrick, 1935
*''
Epicephala vermiformis''
Meyrick, 1936
*''
Epicephala vitisidaea
''Epicephala vitisidaea'' is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in Fujian, ChinaZhang, J., Hu, B., Wang, S. & Li, H. (2012). "Six new species of ''Epicephala'' Meyrick, 1880 (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) associated with Phyllanth ...
''
Zhang, Hu, Wang & Li, 2012
*''
Epicephala zalosticha''
Turner, 1940
References
External links
Global Taxonomic Database of Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera)Youtube video of an ''Epicephala lanceolaria'' pollinating a host ''Glochidion lanceolarium'' flower
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5382502
Gracillariinae
Gracillarioidea genera