Clarkeophlebia

Clarkeophlebia
Clarkeophlebia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Cosmopterigidae (disputed)
Subfamily: Incertae sedis
Genus: Clarkeophlebia
Özdikmen, 2005
Species: C. argentea
Binomial name
Clarkeophlebia argentea
(J.F.G.Clarke, 1986)
Synonyms

Genus-level:

  • Acanthophlebia J.F.G.Clarke, 1986 (non Towns, 1983: preoccupied)

Species-level:

  • Acanthophlebia argentea J.F.G.Clarke, 1986

Clarkeophlebia is an enigmatic and almost-unknown gelechioid moth genus. It contains a single species, Clarkeophlebia argentea, and is apparently endemic to Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas Islands of Polynesia. It was originally described as Acanthophlebia, but this name had earlier been given to a genus of prong-gilled mayflies.

Its relationships are not well determined. While it is superficially similar to the American concealer moth Fabiola tecta, in its anatomical details it seems more similar to Adeana leucoxantha (another puzzling Polynesian moth) and/or Asymphorodes. Clarkeophlebia is tentatively considered a cosmet moth (family Cosmopterigidae) here, but this was thought about Asymphorodes as well; more recently however the latter genus has been assigned to the palm moths of the (somewhat disputed) family Agonoxenidae. This may thus be correct for Clarkeophlebia (and Adeana) too.

References


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