''Stoeberhinus testaceus'', the potato moth, is a
gelechioid moth
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Gelechioidea (from the type genus ''Gelechia'', "keeping to the ground") is the Taxonomic rank, superfamily of moths that contains the case-bearers, twirler moths, and relatives, also simply called curved-horn moths or gelechioid moths. ...
, supposedly the only
species of its
genus ''Stoeberhinus''. However, the genus might also include some related moths presently placed in ''
Autosticha
''Autosticha'' is a genus of gelechioid moths. It belongs to the subfamily Autostichinae, which is either placed in the concealer moth family (Oecophoridae), or in an expanded Autostichidae. It is the type genus of its subfamily (and the Autostic ...
''. It belongs to the
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 ...
Autostichinae
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The Autostichinae are a subfamily of moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. Like their relatives therein, their exact relationships are not yet very well resolved. The present lineage was often included in the concealer moth family (O ...
, which is either placed in the
concealer moth
Oecophoridae (concealer moths) is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this.
...
family (Oecophoridae), or in an expanded
Autostichidae.
[Pitkin & Jenkins (2004)]
It is a small moth with buff and brown-mottled (
potato-colored) forewings. Like ''Autosticha'', this moth has the second and third forewing vein emerging from a common stalk; unlike in that genus, the
labial
The term ''labial'' originates from '' Labium'' (Latin for "lip"), and is the adjective that describes anything of or related to lips, such as lip-like structures. Thus, it may refer to:
* the lips
** In linguistics, a labial consonant
** In zoolog ...
palps of ''S. testaceus'' males are beset with feathery hairs, while the labial palps of the females are inconspicuous and do not taper like those of both sexes of ''Autosticha''.
[Clarke (1986)]
This moth is common and widespread in the warmer parts of the
Pacific region. It was originally described by
Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1881 from specimens collected at
Honolulu, Hawaii. The species has since been recorded from
Java, the
New Hebrides,
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, the
Cook Islands, the
Marquesas across the
Society and
Tuamotu Islands to the
Austral Islands, as well as from the
Galápagos Islands (though it might not breed there). Its origin is not well understood and it seems to be something of a "
supertramp species
In ecology, a supertramp species is any type of animal which follows the "supertramp" strategy of high dispersion among many different habitats, towards none of which it is particularly specialized. Supertramp species are typically the first to ar ...
".
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 ...
larvae eat all sorts of dry leaves, in which they build silken tunnels. They have also been recorded on living plants of the
looking-glass mangrove
''Heritiera littoralis'', commonly known as the looking-glass mangrove or tulip mangrove, is a mangrove tree in the family Malvaceae native to coastal areas of eastern Africa, Asia, Melanesia and northern Australia. The common name refers to th ...
(''Heritiera littoralis''), though the significance of this is unknown.
Synonyms
This moth has become known under several invalid
scientific names. For the genus, these are:
* ''Staeberhinus''
('' lapsus'')
* ''Staeberrhinus ''
Rye, 1882 (unjustified emendation
An emendation is an alteration to a term, for a specific technical reason:
* Emendation (textual), altering a word to make sense, e.g. when incomplete or assumed to have been copied incorrectly
* Emendation (zoology), altering the spelling of the ...
)
For the species:
* ''Stoeberhinus testacea''
(''lapsus'')
* ''Stoeberhinus testaceous''
Swezey, 1910 (unjustified emendation)
Footnotes
References
*Clarke, John Frederick Gates (1986)
"Pyralidae and Microlepidoptera of the Marquesas Archipelago" ''Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology''. 416: 1–485.
*
External links
*
Autostichinae
Moths described in 1881
Moths of Oceania
{{Autostichinae-stub