Apoprogoninae
Encyclopedia
Apoprogoninae is a subfamily of the moth
family Sematuridae
, represented by a single species from Swaziland
, South Africa
.
approach to this questionhttp://www.leptree.net. The moth measures 4 cm. in wingspan and previously placed in the Castniidae
(Shields and Dvorak, 1979) but it was recognised by A.J.T. Janse (Janse, 1932) as belonging to this family.
] has strongly clubbed or hooked antennae
, like a butterfly
, giving it a skipper
-like appearance (Shields and Dvorak, 1979), hence the species name. The hindwing
is not tailed, unlike Sematurinae
which have the veins "M2" and "M3" in the hindwing bearing tails (Minet and Scoble, 1999). The adult male moth has a pair of "hair pencils" at the base of the abdomen
. On the head (in contrast to Sematurinae
) the ocelli
are absent and the compound eye
s not hairy; the wing venation
differs between subfamilies and the forewing "M1" vein is "free" as opposed to sharing a "stalk" with vein "R1" in Sematurinae
(Minet and Scoble, 1999). These and other structural differences have been enough for some authors to consider the African and American groups distinct at family level.
which is geographically restricted and apparently not seen since its description
in the early 1900s, and therefore merits dedicated conservation attention and new surveyshttp://www.edgeofexistence.org.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
family Sematuridae
Sematuridae
Sematuridae is a family of moths in the lepidopteran order, currently containing two subfamilies .-Taxonomy, systematics, and identification:...
, represented by a single species from Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Taxonomy and systematics
This species, Apoprogones hesperistis, is presumably the sister taxon of some or all South American Sematuridae but fresh collections are probably needed to use a DNA sequencingDNA sequencing
DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
approach to this questionhttp://www.leptree.net. The moth measures 4 cm. in wingspan and previously placed in the Castniidae
Castniidae
Castniidae, or castniid moths, is a small family of moths with less than 200 species: The majority are Neotropical with some in Australia and a few in south-east Asia. These are medium-sized to very large moths, usually with drab, cryptically-marked forewings and brightly coloured hindwings. They...
(Shields and Dvorak, 1979) but it was recognised by A.J.T. Janse (Janse, 1932) as belonging to this family.
Morphology and identification
Apoprogones hesperistis] has strongly clubbed or hooked antennae
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
, like a butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, giving it a skipper
Skipper (butterfly)
A skipper or skipper butterfly is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. They are named after their quick, darting flight habits. There are more than 3500 recognized species of skippers and they occur worldwide, but with the greatest diversity in the Neotropical regions of Central and South...
-like appearance (Shields and Dvorak, 1979), hence the species name. The hindwing
Glossary of Lepidopteran terms
This glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
is not tailed, unlike Sematurinae
Sematurinae
Sematurinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Sematuridae, represented by at least 29 species in the Neotropics.-Taxonomy, classification and identification:Sematurinae has three principal genera, and possibly another two...
which have the veins "M2" and "M3" in the hindwing bearing tails (Minet and Scoble, 1999). The adult male moth has a pair of "hair pencils" at the base of the abdomen
Glossary of Lepidopteran terms
This glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
. On the head (in contrast to Sematurinae
Sematurinae
Sematurinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Sematuridae, represented by at least 29 species in the Neotropics.-Taxonomy, classification and identification:Sematurinae has three principal genera, and possibly another two...
) the ocelli
Glossary of Lepidopteran terms
This glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
are absent and the compound eye
Glossary of Lepidopteran terms
This glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
s not hairy; the wing venation
Glossary of Lepidopteran terms
This glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
differs between subfamilies and the forewing "M1" vein is "free" as opposed to sharing a "stalk" with vein "R1" in Sematurinae
Sematurinae
Sematurinae is a subfamily of moths in the family Sematuridae, represented by at least 29 species in the Neotropics.-Taxonomy, classification and identification:Sematurinae has three principal genera, and possibly another two...
(Minet and Scoble, 1999). These and other structural differences have been enough for some authors to consider the African and American groups distinct at family level.
Conservation
Apoprogoninae is an evolutionarily distinctive higher-level taxonTaxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
which is geographically restricted and apparently not seen since its description
Binomial nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
in the early 1900s, and therefore merits dedicated conservation attention and new surveyshttp://www.edgeofexistence.org.