| Gnathifera aphronesa | |
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| Species: | G. aphronesa |
| Binomial name | |
| Gnathifera aphronesa (Meyrick, 1897) | |
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Gnathifera aphronesa is a moth in the family Epermeniidae. It was described by Meyrick in 1897. [1] It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded from Tasmania. [2]
Moths comprise a group of insects related to butterflies, belonging to the order Lepidoptera. Most lepidopterans are moths, and there are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of which have yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal, but there are also crepuscular and diurnal species.
Epermeniidae or the fringe-tufted moths is a family of insects in the lepidopteran order with about 14 genera. Previously they have been divided in two subfamilies Epermeniinae and Ochromolopinae but this is no longer maintained since the last group is probably hierarchically nested within the first. They are presently placed in their own superfamily but have previously been placed among the Yponomeutoidea or Copromorphoidea with which they share some features. Their systematic placement among the apoditrysian group "Obtectomera" is however uncertain. They show some morphological similarities to the "plume moths", for example the wing fringe has similar groups of scales. There are also some similarities to Schreckensteinioidea, for example spiny legs and at least in some species an open-network cocoon. The genus Thambotricha from New Zealand may be the sister group of all other extant members. The most important genera are Epermenia, Ochromolopis and Gnathifera. The group has been extensively revised and catalogued by Dr Reinhard Gaedike.
Edward Meyrick FRS was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on Microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern Microlepidoptera systematics.
The wingspan is about 14 mm. The forewings are light brown, reddish-tinged and sprinkled with whitish and dark fuscous. There is a broad undefined white subcostal streak from beneath the costa near the base to the costa at four-fifth and an oblique irregular blackish bar from the costa at one-fifth, reaching to the fold. There is also a black dot beneath the costa at two-fifths, one in the disc close beyond the bar, one on the fold before the middle followed by a ferruginous spot, one in the disc beyond the middle, one at three-fourth edged with white and one on the costa beyond four-fifth. There are also blackish dorsal scale-teeth before and beyond the middle, as well as a round blackish apical spot, preceded by a white costal spot. The hindwings are pale grey. [3]
The wingspan of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777-200 has a wingspan of 60.93 metres, and a wandering albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of 3.63 metres, the official record for a living bird. The term wingspan, more technically extent, is also used for other winged animals such as pterosaurs, bats, insects, etc., and other fixed-wing aircraft such as ornithopters. In humans, the term wingspan also refers to the arm span, which is distance between the length from one end of an individual's arms to the other when raised parallel to the ground at shoulder height at a 90º angle. Former professional basketball player Manute Bol stands at 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) and owns one of the largest wingspans at 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m).