Andesiana

Andesiana is a genus representing its own family Andesianidae and superfamily Andesianoidea, the "Andean endemic moths". It contains three species with a wingspan up to 5.4 cm. in female A. similis and 3.5 cm. in males (Davis and Gentili, 2003). This far surpasses in size any previously known monotrysian moth. These large Microlepidoptera are restricted to Andean South America, from where they were described originally in 1989 in the family Cossidae by their discoverer Patricia Gentili.

Systematics

The vein "R2" in the hindwing is two-branched, suggesting that the Andesianidae is basal to the superfamily Nepticulidae, but the way the wings are coupled suggests it had a later origination within the Monotrysia, where it can be placed based on characters of the female reproductive system (Davis and Gentili, 2003). The relationships of Andesiana with representatives of other lepidopteran superfamilies is currently under investigation using DNA sequences .

Morphology and identification

The labial palpi have an elongated second segment, the tibia of the male hindleg has a "hairpencil" contained in a pouch on the femur, and the antennae are "bipectinate" in the male and "filiform" in the female; the proboscis is much reduced. See Davis and Gentili (2003) for additional details, such as genitalia characters distinguishing this group.

Distribution

Nothofagus forests of Andean Chile and Argentina (Davis and Gentili, 2003).

References

• Davis, D. R., & P. Gentili. (2003). Andesianidae, a new family of monotrysian moths (Lepidoptera: Andesianoidea) from South America. Invertebrate Systematics, 17: 15-26. Abstract

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External links

• leptree.net

Nomenclatural notes

Lepindex accessed March 2007 incorrectly places the species "neurotenes Turner 1932" from Queensland in the genus "Andesiana, Gentili, 1986" of which the database suggests Archaeoses Turner, 1932 (a cossid )is a junior subjective synonym. Presumably this is not to be confused with an Oecophoridae moth of the same name neurotenes described by Turner in the genus Antiopala in 1939 and currently placed in the genus Prepalla

Arthropoda - Insecta - Superfamilies of Lepidoptera Butterflies Hedyloidea Hesperioidea Papilionoidea Larger Moths Bombycoidea Calliduloidea Cimelioidea Drepanoidea Geometroidea Immoidea Lasiocampoidea Mimallonoidea Noctuoidea Sphingoidea Microlepidoptera Monotrysia Andesianoidea Nepticuloidea Incurvarioidea Tischerioidea Palaephatoidea Ditrysian micros Acanthopteroctetoidea Alucitoidea Choreutoidea Copromorphoidea Cossoidea Epermenioidea Galacticoidea Gelechioidea Gracillarioidea Hyblaeoidea Incurvarioidea Pterophoroidea Pyraloidea Schreckensteinioidea Sesioidea Simaethistoidea Thyridoidea Tineoidea Tortricoidea Urodoidea Whalleyanoidea Yponomeutoidea Zygaenoidea Basal lineages Micropterigoidea Agathiphagoidea Eriocranioidea Hepialoidea Heterobathmioidea Lophocoronoidea Mnesarchaeoidea Neopseustoidea