The grass moth genus Stenia is probably a junior synonym of Dolicharthria

Dolicharthria

Dolicharthria is a genus of small moths belonging to the family Crambidae. Stenia is usually synonymized with it, but may be distinct.-Species:*Dolicharthria aetnaealis *Dolicharthria bruguieralis...

; see there.

Stenia is a small genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 from the orchid family (Orchidaceae

Orchidaceae

The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...

). It was established by John Lindley

John Lindley

John Lindley FRS was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.-Early years:Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley was a nurseryman and pomologist and ran a commercial nursery garden...

 in 1837. This epiphytic

Epiphyte

An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...

 plants occur in warm, humid habitats of Trinidad

Trinidad

Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...

 and the Amazonian slope of the northern Andean

Andes

The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...

 region in South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

.

This genus as a rule lacks pseudobulb

Pseudobulb

The pseudobulb is a storage organ derived from the part of a stem between two leaf nodes.It applies to the orchid family , specifically certain groups of epiphytic orchids, and may be single or composed of several internodes with evergreen or deciduous leaves along its length.In some species, it is...

s and consequently produces tufted fan-like growths of fairly erect narrow, short leaves

Leaf

A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

, and conforms to the sympodial

Sympodial

Sympodial means "with conjoined feet", and in biology is often used to refer to the outward morphology or mode of growth of organisms.-In botany:...

 method of growth.

Plants of this genus produce a short, creeping or erect, single-flowered inflorescences, growing laterally. The flower

Flower

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...

s are medium-sized, with equal petal

Petal

Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...

s and sepal

Sepal

A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...

s. All members of this genus have their flowers dominated by the large, shoe-like, concave labellum

Labellum

Labellum is the Latin diminutive of labium, meaning lip. These are anatomical terms used descriptively in biology, for example in Entomology and botany.-Botany:...

 (lip) with a disc-like, toothed crest. The flowers have four elongate pollinia

Pollinium

Pollinium, or plural pollinia, is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant.They are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of milkweeds .Most orchids have waxy pollinia...

, with the upper pollinia long and narrow. They occur at any time of the year, though slightly more concentrated during summer in cultivation.

Species

Though this genus has been known to science since ther early 19th century, most species were not discovered until the late 20th century.

• Stenia angustilabia D.E.Benn. & Christenson (Peru)
• Stenia aurorae D.E.Benn. & Christenson (Peru)
• Stenia bismarckii Dodson & D.E.Benn. ( S. Ecuador to Peru)
• Stenia calceolaris (Garay) Dodson & D.E.Benn. (Ecuador to N. Peru)
• Stenia christensonii D.E.Benn. (Peru)
• Stenia falcata (Ackerman) Dressler
• Stenia glatzii Neudecker & G.Gerlach (Ecuador)
• Stenia guttata Rchb.f. (Peru)
• Stenia jarae D.E.Benn. (Peru)
• Stenia lillianae Jenny ex D.E.Benn. & Christenson (Peru)
• Stenia luerorum D.E.Benn. & Christenson (Peru)
• Stenia nataliana R.Vásquez & Nowicki & R.Müll. (Bolivia)
• Stenia pallida Lindl. (Trinidad, Guyana, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru)
• Stenia pastorellii D.E.Benn. (Peru)
• Stenia pustulosa D.E.Benn. & Christenson (Peru)
• Stenia saccata Garay (Ecuador)
• Stenia stenioides (Garay) Dodson & R.Escobar (Ecuador)
• Stenia uribei P.Ortiz (Colombia)
• Stenia vasquezii Dodson (Bolivia)
• Stenia wendiae D.E.Benn. & Christenson (Peru)