''Mnesictena'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of snout moths in the subfamily

Spilomelinae Spilomelinae is a very species-rich subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. With 4,135 described species in 344 genera worldwide, it is the most speciose group among pyraloids. Description Imagines – the adu ...

, where it is placed in the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

Udeini Udeini is a Tribe (biology), tribe in the species-rich subfamily Spilomelinae in the Pyraloidea, pyraloid moth Family (biology), family Crambidae. The tribe was erected by Richard Mally, James E. Hayden, Christoph Neinhuis, Bjarte H. Jordal and M ...

. The genus was erected by the English

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Edward Meyrick Edward Meyrick (25 November 1854, in Ramsbury – 31 March 1938, at Thornhanger, Marlborough) was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern m ...

in 1884. The currently known seven species are exclusively found on

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

and the associated

Antipodes Islands The Antipodes Islands ( Maōri: Moutere Mahue; "Abandoned island") are inhospitable and uninhabited volcanic islands in subantarctic waters to the south of – and territorially part of – New Zealand. The 21 km2 archipelago lies 860 ...

and

Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands ( ) ( Moriori: ''Rēkohu'', 'Misty Sun'; mi, Wharekauri) are an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about east of New Zealand's South Island. They are administered as part of New Zealand. The archipelago consists of about t ...

. In the past, ''Mnesictena'' was included in the genus ''

Udea ''Udea'' is a genus of snout moths in the subfamily Spilomelinae of the family Crambidae. The genus was erected by Achille Guenée in 1845. The currently known 215 species are present on all continents except Antarctica. About 41 species a ...

'', but it is currently considered a separate genus. The

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

s feed on different plants, with ''Mnesictena flavidalis'' being recorded from '' Muehlenbeckia'' (

Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1 ...

), ''M. daiclesalis'' from ''

Veronica macrocarpa Veronica, Veronika, etc., may refer to: People * Veronica (name) * Saint Veronica * Saint Veronica of Syria Arts and media Comics and literature * ''Veronica'', an 1870 novel by Frances Eleanor Trollope * ''Veronica'', a 2005 novel by Mary Gait ...

'' (

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older ...

), and ''M. notata'' as well as ''M. marmarina'' from ''

Urtica ''Urtica'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Urticaceae. Many species have stinging hairs and may be called nettles or stinging nettles, although the latter name applies particularly to '' Urtica dioica''. ''Urtica'' species are food ...

'', the latter also from '' Australina''.

Species

*''

Mnesictena adversa ''Mnesictena adversa'' is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Alfred Philpott in 1917 and is endemic to New Zealand. Taxonomy This species was first described by Alfred Philpott in 1917 and named ''Mecyna adversa''. In 1988 J. S ...

'' (Philpott, 1917), distributed on New Zealand *''

Mnesictena antipodea ''Mnesictena antipodea'' is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by John T. Salmon in 1956. This species is endemic to New Zealand, where it has been recorded from the Antipodes Islands. The wingspan The wingspan (or just spa ...

'' (Salmon in Salmon & Bradley, 1956), distributed on the SE Antipodes Island *''

Mnesictena daiclesalis ''Mnesictena daiclesalis'' is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is endemic to New Zealand. The wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to t ...

'' (Walker, 1859), distributed on New Zealand *''

Mnesictena flavidalis ''Mnesictena flavidalis'' is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Edward Doubleday in 1843. It is endemic to New Zealand. Taxonomy This species was first described by Edward Doubleday in Ernst Dieffenbach's book ''Travels in ...

'' (Doubleday, 1843), distributed on New Zealand *''

Mnesictena marmarina ''Mnesictena marmarina'', also known as the ''brown nettle moth'', is a snout moth in the subfamily Spilomelinae of the family Crambidae. It was first described by Edward Meyrick in 1884. It is endemic to New Zealand. This species is similar ...

'' Meyrick, 1884, distributed on New Zealand;

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( ...

of the genus *''

Mnesictena notata ''Mnesictena notata'' is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1879. It is endemic to New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists ...

'' (Butler, 1879), distributed on New Zealand *''

Mnesictena pantheropa ''Mnesictena pantheropa'' is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Edward Meyrick in 1884. It is endemic to New Zealand, where it has been recorded from the Chatham Islands. The wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird ...

'' (Meyrick, 1884), distributed on the Chatham Islsnds

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10794285 Crambidae genera Spilomelinae Taxa named by Edward Meyrick