''Neurosymploca kushaica'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in the family

Zygaenidae The Zygaenidae moths are a family of Lepidoptera. The majority of zygaenids are tropical, but they are nevertheless quite well represented in temperate regions. Some of the 1000 or so species are commonly known as burnet or forester moths, ofte ...

. It is closely related to ''

Neurosymploca dukeorum ''Neurosymploca'' is a genus of moths belonging to the family Zygaenidae. The species of this genus are found in Southern Europe and Southern Africa. Species Species: *''Neurosymploca affinis'' *''Neurosymploca caffra'' *''Neurosymploca conci ...

'', but not

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

Subspecies

There is one known

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

: *''Neurosymploca kushaica sani'' Axel Hofmann, 2017

Distribution

''Neurosymploca kushaica'' can be found on the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula ( af, Kaapse Skiereiland) is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of ...

and the neighboring hillsides. The subspecies ''sani'' is located in

Cedarberg The Cederberg mountains are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town, South Africa at about . The mountain range is named after the endangered Clanwilliam cedar (''Widdringtonia wallichii''), which is a tree end ...

, including the

Pakhuis Pass Pakhuis Pass is a mountain pass on the R364 in the northern Cederberg in South Africa. The pass connects Clanwilliam to Calvinia. A turnoff from the pass heads southeast to the Biedouw Valley and Wupperthal. The pass is 25 km long, reaches ...

Ecology

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 ...

s can mostly be found on Maytenus oleoides and rarely on Cassine schinoides. Neurosymploca kushaica 31049831

Etymology

The species is named after the discoverer's son Kusha Charles in memory of their first field trip together. The ''sani'' subspecies is named after the

san people The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are members of various Khoe, Tuu, or Kxʼa-speaking indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures that are the first cultures of Southern Africa, and whose territories span Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zambia, ...

, of whom there are historical

rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...

paintings in its habitat.

References

Zygaenidae Moths described in 2017 {{Zygaenidae-stub