| Mesothen aurata | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
| Genus: | Mesothen |
| Species: | M. aurata |
| Binomial name | |
| Mesothen aurata Dognin, 1913 | |
Mesothen aurata is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by Paul Dognin in 1913. It is found in Colombia. [1]
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.
The Arctiinae are a large and diverse subfamily of moths, with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species. This group includes the groups commonly known as tiger moths, which usually have bright colours, footmen, which are usually much drabber, lichen moths, and wasp moths. Many species have "hairy" caterpillars that are popularly known as woolly bears or woolly worms. The scientific name of this subfamily refers to this hairiness. Some species within the Arctiinae have the word “tussock” in their common name due to people misidentifying them as members of the Lymantriinae based on the characteristics of the larvae.
Paul Dognin was a French entomologist who specialised in the Lepidoptera of South America. Dognin named 101 new genera of moths.