Four-spotted yellowneck | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Lepidoptera |
Family: | Autostichidae |
Genus: | Oegoconia |
Species: | O. quadripuncta |
Binomial name | |
Oegoconia quadripuncta (Haworth, 1828) | |
Synonyms | |
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The four-spotted yellowneck (Oegoconia quadripuncta), also known as the leaf litter moth, is a species of gelechioid moth. It is native to Western Europe, from France to Belgium, Germany and Austria, south to the Iberian Peninsula, and north to Ireland, Wales and England (where its northern limit is Lancashire). Older sources claim its range to extend further eastwards, but this seems to be based on misidentifications of related and very similar species (e.g. O. deauratella and O. caradjai ). It is also found[ citation needed ] in southern Canada and throughout the United States. [1]
The adults fly from May to August in North America[ citation needed ] and around July/August in Europe, depending on the location. They are nocturnal but can be attracted by light. The wingspan is 11–17 mm, and it is generally blackish, with two light yellow spots or bands on each forewing and a light yellow pronotum region – the common name "four-spotted yellowneck" refers to this pattern. But related species have a similar or identical pattern, and in some cases (e.g. O. deauratella ) can only be distinguished by microscopic examination of the genitalia. The caterpillars live in leaf litter and eat detritus such as rotting wood. [2]
It belongs to the subfamily Symmocinae, which is sometimes included in the case-bearers (Coleophoridae) or united with the concealer moth subfamily Autostichinae. Originally described as Recurvaria quadripuncta by A.H. Haworth in 1828, the four-spotted yellowneck is the type species of the genus Oegoconia , which in turn is the type genus of the symmocid subfamily Oegoconiinae (or tribe Oegoconiini, if the symmocids are merged into another family). [3]
This species has been confused with its extremely similar but reproductively isolated congener O. deauratella . This is because O. quadripuncta has a junior synonym Oecophora deauratella (established by H.T. Stainton in 1849), while the actual O. deauratella was described (as Lampros deauratella) by G.A.W. Herrich-Schäffer only in 1854. Technically, in such a case Herrich-Schäffer's younger taxon should be displaced by Stainton's. But since the latter was synonymized with Haworth's taxon before they were all moved to Oegoconia, Herrich-Schäffer's name is not a junior homonym and can be used. [1]
Gelechioidea is the superfamily of moths that contains the case-bearers, twirler moths, and relatives, also simply called curved-horn moths or gelechioid moths. It is a large and poorly understood '"micromoth" superfamily, constituting one of the basal lineages of the Ditrysia.
The Coleophoridae are a family of small moths, belonging to the huge superfamily Gelechioidea. Collectively known as case-bearers, casebearing moths or case moths, this family is represented on all continents, but the majority are found in temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere. They are most common in the Palearctic, and rare in sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and Australia; consequently, they probably originated in northern Eurasia. They are relatively common in houses, they seek out moist areas to rest and procreate.
Bryotropha is a genus of the twirler moth family (Gelechiidae). Among these, it is placed in the tribe Anomologini of subfamily Gelechiinae; the tribe was formerly considered a distinct subfamily Anomologinae.
Lomographa bimaculata, the white-pinion spotted, is a species of geometer moth. It belongs to the large geometer moth subfamily Ennominae, and therein to the tribe Baptini. It is – under its junior synonym – the type species of its genus Lomographa. It is also the type species of Bapta, a junior objective synonym of Lomographa and the namesake of the Baptini. The species was first described by Johan Christian Fabricius ion 1775.
Euplocamus anthracinalis is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and among these to the subfamily Euplocaminae.
Monopis obviella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is the type species of Blabophanes, today treated as a junior synonym of the genus Monopis. M. crocicapitella was only separated from the present species in 1859, and is still frequently confused with it even by rather recent sources.
Nemapogon granella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the subfamily Nemapogoninae. It is the type species of its genus Nemapogon, and via that also of the subfamily Nemapogoninae. It is also the type species of the proposed genera Brosis and Diaphthirusa, which are consequently junior objective synonyms of Nemapogon.
Triaxomera parasitella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the subfamily Nemapogoninae. It is widespread and common in much of western Eurasia, but seems to be absent from some more outlying regions, such as Portugal and the eastern Baltic, Ireland and Iceland. It has also not been recorded from Slovenia but given that it is found in neighboring countries, it may well occur there unnoticed. Recently, the species was recorded from British Columbia. Generally, it is a moth of warm temperate regions, e.g. in Great Britain it is only a rare and scarce species from the English Midlands northwards.
The brown-dotted clothes moth is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is the type species of its genus Niditinea.
Batia lunaris, the lesser tawny crescent, is a species of gelechioid moth. It belongs to the subfamily Oecophorinae of the concealer moth family (Oecophoridae). It is the type species of the genus Batia, which is sometimes treated as monotypic. But this is not well warranted, as some other species usually placed there differ little from the Lesser Tawny Crescent.
Nemapogon cloacella, the cork moth, is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the subfamily Nemapogoninae. Its junior synonym N. infimella was established by G.H. Heydenreich in the 1851 volume of his Lepidopterorum Europaeorum Catalogus Methodicus, but many sources still attribute it to G.A.W. Herrich-Schäffer, who supposedly narrowly beat Heidenreich in (re)describing the species. But as it seems, Herrich-Schäffer was merely one of the first to use the name proposed by Heydenreich, as the volume of his Systematische Bearbeitung der Schmetterlinge von Europa where he discussed the cork moth was not published until 1853 or 1854. That all nonwithstanding, the species had been already validly described by A.H. Haworth in the 1828 volume of Lepidoptera Britannica.
Oecophora bractella is a species of gelechioid moth. It belongs to the subfamily Oecophorinae of the concealer moth family (Oecophoridae). As the type species of its genus Oecophora, its affiliations and phylogeny determine the delimitation of that family and subfamily.
Batia lambdella is a species of gelechioid moth. It belongs to the subfamily Oecophorinae of the concealer moth family (Oecophoridae). The genus Batia is sometimes treated as monotypic, but this seems spurious considering how similar B. lambdella is to the type species B. lunaris.
Borkhausenia minutella is a species of moth. Within its superfamily, it is placed within the subfamily Oecophorinae of the "concealer moth" family, Oecophoridae.
Pseudatemelia flavifrontella is a species of gelechioid moths.
Monopis laevigella, the skin moth, is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It is the type species of the genus Monopis and its junior objective synonym Hyalospila. As with the common clothes moth, earlier authors frequently misapplied the name Tinea vestianella to the present species.
Tinea trinotella is a species of tineoid moth. It belongs to the fungus moth family (Tineidae), and therein to the nominate subfamily Tineinae. It was once used as type species of a distinct genus Acedes, but this is synonymized today with Tinea, the type genus of Tineinae, Tineidae and the superfamily Tineoidea.
Depressaria is a moth genus of the superfamily Gelechioidea. It is the type genus of subfamily Depressariinae, which is often – particularly in older treatments – considered a distinct family Depressariidae or included in the Elachistidae, but actually seems to belong in the Oecophoridae.
The Symmocinae are a subfamily of moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. These small moths are found mainly in the Palearctic and Africa.
Oegoconia caradjai is a species of gelechioid moth. It is known from most of Europe, except Fennoscandia and the north-east. It is also found in New Zealand, as an established exotic.