| Gnathifera eurybias | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Epermeniidae |
| Genus: | Gnathifera |
| Species: | G. eurybias |
| Binomial name | |
| Gnathifera eurybias (Meyrick, 1897) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Gnathifera eurybias 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 New South Wales, [2] Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.
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 Previously they have been divided in two subfamilies Epermeniinae and Ochromolopinae but this is no longer maintained since the last group is probably hierarchically nested within the first.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 11–15 mm. The forewings are light fuscous, irregularly strigulated with dark fuscous irroration and partially finely whitish-sprinkled. There is a black dot beneath the costa near the base, and one in the disc at one-third, as well as an undefined patch of dark fuscous suffusion on the dorsum at one-fourth and a narrow indistinct dark fuscous inwardly oblique median fascia, marked with a small ochreous spot in the disc, and terminating in a large blackish dorsal scale-tooth. There is also a black dot in the disc at three-fourths, followed by a small ochreous spot. The posterior half of the costa is indistinctly spotted with dark fuscous and there is a small ochreous apical spot. The hindwings are fuscous. [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).