Oxytenis
Encyclopedia
Oxytenis is a genus of moth
in the family
Saturniidae
and subfamily Oxyteninae
. During its larva
l form, it has large eyespots on the front of its head in an attempt to mimic a snake
. The larva has unusual, large, almost wing-like, fleshy protrusions on either side.
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...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Saturniidae
Saturniidae
The Saturniidae, commonly known as saturniids, are among the largest and most spectacular of the moths. They form a family of Lepidoptera, with an estimated 1,300 to 1,500 described species worldwide...
and subfamily Oxyteninae
Oxyteninae
Oxyteninae is a subfamily of the family Saturniidae. Its members are mostly from central and south America.-Genera:This subfamily contains the following genera:*Asthenidia*Draconipteris*Eusyssaura*Homoeopteryx*Lycabis*Oxytenis...
. During its larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
l form, it has large eyespots on the front of its head in an attempt to mimic a snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
. The larva has unusual, large, almost wing-like, fleshy protrusions on either side.
Species
- O. albilunulata Schaus
- O. beprea Druce
- O. ferruginea Walker
- O. gigantea Druce
- O. modestia Cramer
- O. naemia Jordan
- O. nubila Jordan