''Prodidactis mystica'' is an enigmatic

Pyraloidea The Pyraloidea (pyraloid moths or snout moths) are a moth superfamily containing about 16,000 described species worldwide, and probably at least as many more remain to be described. They are generally fairly small moths, and as such, they have b ...

-like moth from

southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

which has been placed in its own family, Prodidactidae and which belongs in the

lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...

n group

Apoditrysia The Ditrysia are a natural group or clade of insects in the lepidopteran order containing both butterflies and moths. They are so named because the female has two distinct sexual openings: one for mating, and the other for laying eggs (in con ...

. Its closest relative amongst this large group of Lepidoptera is uncertain, but morphological and molecular evidence suggests placement of Prodidactidae in Hyblaeoidea. The larval food plant is ''

Nuxia congesta ''Nuxia congesta'', commonly known as brittle-wood, is a species of tree in the Stilbaceae family, with an extensive range in the Afrotropics. The species is named ''congesta'' for its dense inflorescences. Range The species is native to Eswa ...

'' ( Stilbaceae).

References

External links

* Zygaenoidea Monotypic moth genera Moths of Africa Taxa named by Edward Meyrick {{Zygaenoidea-stub