''Erechthias simulans'' is a species of

fungus moth Tineidae is a family of moths in the order Lepidoptera described by Pierre André Latreille in 1810. Collectively, they are known as fungus moths or tineid moths. The family contains considerably more than 3,000 species in more than 300 genera. ...

(

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

Tineidae). It is here considered to belong to the somewhat controversial

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal f ...

of its

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Erechthiinae The Erechthiinae are a subfamily of moth of the family Tineidae. Genera * ''Anastathma'' * ''Callicerastis'' (sometimes in ''Erechthias'') * ''Comodica'' * ''Erechthias'' Meyrick, 1880 * ''Mecomodica ''Mecomodica fullawayi'' is a fungus moth ...

, though even fairly recently some authors have proposed to retain other genera such as ''Decadarchis'' separate from ''Erechthias''. ''Decadarchis'', with ''E. simulans'' 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 specimen ...

(under the obsolete name ''Decadarchis melanastra''), would in fact contain this moth and its closest relatives, regardless whether it is recognized as full genus or as

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

. These relatives are generally held to be a group of mainly

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

n species. ''E. simulans'' has also been mistaken for a species of the closely related genus ''

Comodica ''Comodica'' is a small genus of the fungus moth family, Tineidae. Therein, it belongs to the subfamily Erechthiinae. It is apparently a close relative of the type genus of its subfamily, ''Erechthias''.Robinson 011/ref> It is usually delimited ...

''; while the delimitation of this versus ''Erechthias''/''Decadarchis'' is not universally agreed upon, ''E. simulans'' is not included in ''Comodica'' anymore by modern authors.Clarke (1986), Pitkin & Jenikins (2004), Robinson

011 The following is a list of different international call prefixes that need to be dialled when placing an international telephone call from different countries. Countries by international prefix Countries using optional carrier selection cod ...

/ref> This moth is widespread across Polynesia and ranges into some adjacent regions. It is known from

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

, the

Ellice Islands Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northea ...

, the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

(including

Midway Island Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

), the

Marquesas The Marquesas Islands (; french: Îles Marquises or ' or '; Marquesan: ' ( North Marquesan) and ' ( South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in t ...

(at least

Hiva Oa With its , Hiva Oa is the second largest island in the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Located at 9 45' south latitude and 139 W longitude, it is the largest island of the southern Mar ...

Nuku Hiva Nuku Hiva (sometimes spelled Nukahiva or Nukuhiva) is the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of France in the Pacific Ocean. It was formerly also known as ''Île Marchand'' and ''Madison Island''. Herman M ...

Tahuata Tahuata is the smallest of the inhabited Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is located 4 km (2.5 mi.) to the south of the western end of Hiva Oa, across the Canal du Bordelai ...

), the

Society Islands The Society Islands (french: Îles de la Société, officially ''Archipel de la Société;'' ty, Tōtaiete mā) are an archipelago located in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, they are part of French Polynesia, an overseas country of the F ...

and

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

(at least

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

), and eastern Africa. On higher islands, it may preferably occur near the coast. Its original distribution is probably undeterminable; it shows some traits of a supertramp species, but has likely been assisted to spread across its present range by human transport of its food plants.Clarke (1986)

Description and ecology

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan of ...

is 15–20 mm (about inch). Adults are black or dark brown with white forewings. There is a well-developed tuft of long, rather stiff hairs near the base of the upperside of the hindwing in the male. This tuft is represented in the female by only a few finer hairs. The forewing tips are strongly upturned. In the male genitals, the

clasper In biology, a clasper is a male anatomical structure found in some groups of animals, used in mating. Male cartilaginous fish have claspers formed from the posterior portion of their pelvic fin which serve to channel semen into the female's c ...

's harpe is broad and stubby, with a large swelling covered in bristles arising from the center of the

costa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge of th ...

; the outer edge of the cucullus is toothed. The

uncus The uncus is an anterior extremity of the parahippocampal gyrus. It is separated from the apex of the temporal lobe by a slight fissure called the incisura temporalis (also called rhinal sulcus). Although superficially continuous with the hipp ...

is slightly sclerotized (hardened) along the sides, and divided at the tip. The vinculum is very broad and in its rear part distinctly flattened; the tegumen forms a narrow ring. The front part of the anellus is cup shaped, and the

aedeagus An aedeagus (plural aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male arthropods through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation with a female. It can be thought of as the insect equivalent of a mammal's penis, though the comparison ...

is long and slim, with an equally elongated and slender cornutus. In the female genitals, the

ostium An ostium (plural ostia) in anatomy is a small opening or orifice. Ostium or ostia may refer to: Human anatomy * Ostium of fallopian tube * Ostium of the uterus (disambiguation) * Ostium primum of the developing heart * Ostium secundum ( foramen ...

is narrow and U shaped. The

antrum ''This is a disambiguation page for the biological term. For the 2018 horror movie, see Antrum (film)'' In biology, antrum is a general term for a cavity or chamber, which may have specific meaning in reference to certain organs or sites in the bod ...

is tubular and sclerotized, with the

ductus seminalis In anatomy and physiology, a duct is a circumscribed channel leading from an exocrine gland or organ. Types of ducts Examples include: Duct system As ducts travel from the acinus which generates the fluid to the target, the ducts become large ...

attaching at its upperside base. The ductus bursae is sclerotized in the forward part, with the hind part being a delicate membrane, and forms a broad loop at its junction with the

bursa copulatrix ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

. The latter organ bears a mesh structure formed by fine ridges; the signum is sickle shaped and the

capitulum capitulum (plural capitula) may refer to: *the Latin word for chapter ** an index or list of chapters at the head of a gospel manuscript ** a short reading in the Liturgy of the Hours *** derived from which, it is the Latin for the assembly known ...

well developed. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder Sym ...

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e feed on dead and decaying plant stems (particularly the bark and outer wood). They are

polyphagous Feeding is the process by which organisms, typically animals, obtain food. Terminology often uses either the suffixes -vore, -vory, or -vorous from Latin ''vorare'', meaning "to devour", or -phage, -phagy, or -phagous from Greek φαγε ...

and likely very indiscriminate in their eating habits. Possible food plants seem to include most

core eudicots The eudicots, Eudicotidae, or eudicotyledons are a clade of flowering plants mainly characterized by having two seed leaves upon germination. The term derives from Dicotyledons. Traditionally they were called tricolpates or non-magnoliid dicots ...

, as the larvae have been recorded from across that

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

: Known food plants are sea hibiscus (''

Hibiscus tiliaceus ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zea ...

''), lonomea (''

Sapindus oahuensis ''Sapindus oahuensis'' is a species of tree in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is limited to Kauai (Waimea Canyon) and Oahu (Waianae and Koolau Ranges). Its common names include Āulu,Little, E. L. and R. G. ...

''), saman (''

Albizia saman ''Samanea saman'', also sometimes known as the rain tree, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, now in the Mimosoid clade and is native to Central and South America. Its range extends from Mexico south to Peru and Brazil, ...

'') and coffee trees (''

Coffea ''Coffea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Family (biology), family Rubiaceae. ''Coffea'' species are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. The seeds of some species, called coffee beans, are use ...

''); the last two are not native to the Pacific region, testifying to the species' adaptability.

Pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

tion takes place in a tough cocoon in a tunnel in which the caterpillar has lived. The pupa is about 10 mm long.

Synonyms

Junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

s by which ''E. simulans'' was formerly known are: * ''Comodica decaspila'' Lower, 1905 * ''Decadarchis melanastra'' Meyrick, 1886 * ''Decadarchis simulans'' (Butler, 1882) (but see above) * ''Ereunetis simulans'' (Butler, 1882) * ''Tinea simulans'' Butler, 1882

Footnotes

References

* (1986): Pyralidae and Microlepidoptera of the Marquesas Archipelago. ''Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology'' 416: 1-485
PDF fulltext
(214 MB!) * (2004)
Butterflies and Moths of the World, Generic Names and their Type-species
nbsp;�
''Decadarchis''
Version of 2004-NOV-05. Retrieved 2011-DEC-25. *

br>Global Taxonomic Database of Tineidae (Lepidoptera)
Retrieved 2011-DEC-25.

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5385391 Erechthiinae Moths described in 1882