Aureopterix micans
Encyclopedia
Aureopterix micans is a moth
of the Micropterigidae
family. It is known from dense rainforest throughout New Caledonia
from Mount Panié to the Rivière Bleue.
Adults have been found between mid October and the end of January.
The forewing length is 2.7 mm for males and 3.2 mm for females. The forewing ground colour is pale shining silvery ochreous, with rich bronzy brown fasciae, more clearly marked in the female than in the male. There are a few brown scales on the costa at the base, with a line of brown scales along the costa to an interrupted basal line running obliquely inwards and consisting of a costal patch at one-fifth, a small spot in the middle and a larger patch toward the jugal area. There is a strong, continuous, slightly oblique transverse line at mid-length, slightly concave along its inner margin and expanding a little at each end. There is also an area of brown scales in the apex, it is darkest along the costa and grading to paler bronze on the termen and at the apex. The fringes are long and pale silvery ochreous grading to pale bronzy brown along the anal curvature in the female, with zones of brown scales marking the fascia on the costa. The hindwing is very pale bronzy brown. The fringes are bronzy brown.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Micropterigidae
Micropterigidae
Micropterigoidea is the superfamily of "mandibulate archaic moths", all placed in the single family Micropterigidae, containing currently about 20 living genera. They are considered the most primitive extant lineage of Lepidoptera ....
family. It is known from dense rainforest throughout New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
from Mount Panié to the Rivière Bleue.
Adults have been found between mid October and the end of January.
The forewing length is 2.7 mm for males and 3.2 mm for females. The forewing ground colour is pale shining silvery ochreous, with rich bronzy brown fasciae, more clearly marked in the female than in the male. There are a few brown scales on the costa at the base, with a line of brown scales along the costa to an interrupted basal line running obliquely inwards and consisting of a costal patch at one-fifth, a small spot in the middle and a larger patch toward the jugal area. There is a strong, continuous, slightly oblique transverse line at mid-length, slightly concave along its inner margin and expanding a little at each end. There is also an area of brown scales in the apex, it is darkest along the costa and grading to paler bronze on the termen and at the apex. The fringes are long and pale silvery ochreous grading to pale bronzy brown along the anal curvature in the female, with zones of brown scales marking the fascia on the costa. The hindwing is very pale bronzy brown. The fringes are bronzy brown.