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.^[2] 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 family 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.^[2] 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.^[2]

Distribution

The genus is found in Nothofagus forests of Andean Chile and Argentina.

References

• Wikispecies has information related to: Andesiana

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andesiana.

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