''Batrachedrodes'' is a genus of

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s of the Momphidae

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

. All species of this genus are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. All six species were collected by

Robert Cyril Layton Perkins Robert Cyril Layton Perkins FRS (15 November 1866 – 29 September 1955) was a distinguished British entomologist, ornithologist, and naturalist noted for his work on the fauna of the islands of Hawaii and on Hymenoptera. He is not to be conf ...

and then described by

Thomas de Grey, 6th Baron Walsingham Thomas de Grey, 6th Baron Walsingham (29 July 1843 – 3 December 1919), of Merton Hall, Norfolk, was an English politician and amateur entomologist. Biography Walsingham was the son of Thomas de Grey, 5th Baron Walsingham, and Augusta-Louis ...

in 1907. He classified them in the genus ''

Batrachedra ''Batrachedra'' is the largest genus in the moth family Batrachedridae, with representatives all over the world. The early stages of most species are unknown. The genus name is derived from the Greek words ''batrachos'', 'frog', and ''edra'', 'se ...

'', although before publication he questioned if these species were not so distinct that they were better segregated in an independent genus. The genus was eventually split from ''Batrachedra'' by Elwood Zimmerman in his 1978 treatment of the

microlepidoptera Microlepidoptera (micromoths) is an artificial (i.e., unranked and not monophyletic) grouping of moth families, commonly known as the 'smaller moths' (micro, Lepidoptera). These generally have wingspans of under 20 mm, and are thus harder to ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. The species were first considered to be part of the family

Batrachedridae The Batrachedridae are a small family of tiny moths. These are small, slender moths which rest with their wings wrapped tightly around their bodies. Taxonomy The taxonomy of this and related groups is often disputed. This group was first propos ...

, but were placed in the subfamily Momphinae of the family

Gelechiidae The Gelechiidae are a family of moths commonly referred to as twirler moths or gelechiid moths. They are the namesake family of the huge and little-studied superfamily Gelechioidea, and the family's taxonomy has been subject to considerable d ...

with the rest of the Batrachedridae by Zimmerman in 1978. The caterpillars of all known species feed upon the

sporangia A sporangium (; from Late Latin, ) is an enclosure in which spores are formed. It can be composed of a single cell or can be multicellular. Virtually all plants, fungi, and many other lineages form sporangia at some point in their life cyc ...

found on the undersides of the fronds of various genera of ferns, including, but quite likely not limited to: ''

Asplenium ''Asplenium'' is a genus of about 700 species of ferns, often treated as the only genus in the family Aspleniaceae, though other authors consider '' Hymenasplenium'' separate, based on molecular phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences, a different ...

'', '' Elaphoglossum'', '' Aspidium'' and ''

Dryopteris :''The moth genus ''Dryopteris'' is now considered a junior synonym of '' Oreta. ''Dryopteris'' , commonly called the wood ferns, male ferns (referring in particular to '' Dryopteris filix-mas''), or buckler ferns, is a fern genus in the family D ...

''. They live protected under a silken webbing.

Species

*'' Batrachedrodes bedelliella'' ( Walsingham, 1907) *'' Batrachedrodes ephelus'' (Walsingham, 1907) *'' Batrachedrodes lomentella'' (Walsingham, 1907) *'' Batrachedrodes sophroniella'' (Walsingham, 1907) *'' Batrachedrodes supercincta'' (Walsingham, 1907) *'' Batrachedrodes syrraphella'' (Walsingham, 1907)

References

External links

Butterflies and Moths of the World - Generic Names and their Type-species
Momphidae Endemic moths of Hawaii {{Momphidae-stub