Cosmopterix themisto
Encyclopedia
Cosmopterix themisto is a moth
of the Cosmopterigidae
family. It is known from Brazil
(Mato Grosso do Sul).
Adults have been recorded in August.
Male. Forewing length 3.9 mm. Head: frons shining white, vertex and neck tufts shining ochreous-brown, laterally and medially lined white, collar ochreous-brown; labial palpus first segment very short, white, second segment four-fifths of the length of third, greyish brown with white longitudinal lines laterally and ventrally, third segment white, lined brown laterally, scape dorsally dark brown with a white anterior line, ochreous-white ventrally, antenna shining dark brown with a white interrupted line from base to beyond one-half with a short section uninterrupted at base, followed towards apex by a dark brown section of approximately fifteen segments, five white, one dark brown, three white and one dark brown segment at apex. Thorax and tegulae ochreous-brown, thorax with white median line, tegulae lined white inwardly. Legs: ochreous-grey, foreleg with a white line on tibia and tarsal segments one to three and five, tibia of midleg with white oblique basal and medial lines and a white apical ring, tarsal segments ochreous, segments three and four more grey, tibia of hindleg as midleg, tarsal segments one to three with indistinct ochreous apical rings, segments four and five entirely ochreous, spurs ochreous on outside, paler on inside. Forewing ochreous-brown, four white lines in the basal area, a subcostal from one-eighth to one-quarter, bending slightly from costa distally, a slightly oblique medial above fold, from one-sixth to one-third, a subdorsal just beyond the start of the medial almost to the transverse fascia, a dorsal opposite to the subcostal, a broad yellow transverse fascia beyond the middle, slightly narrowed towards dorsum with a short apical protrusion, bordered at the inner edge by a pale golden metallic fascia, narrowed towards costa, not reaching it and with a subcostal patch of blackish brown scales on the outside, bordered at the outer edge by two pale golden metallic costal and dorsal spots, the dorsal spot twice as large as the costal and more towards base, a white costal streak beyond outer costal spot, a white apical line to apex from beyond the apical protrusion, cilia ochreous-brown, ochreous-grey towards dorsum. Hindwing shining pale ochreous-grey, cilia ochreous-grey. Underside: forewing shining pale greyish ochreous, the white costal streak and the apical line in the cilia at apex indistinctly visible, hindwing shining pale grey. Abdomen dorsally shining ochreous-grey, ventrally shining pale grey, segments broadly banded shining white posteriorly, anal tuft white.
, a moon of Jupiter
. To be treated as a noun in apposition.
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 Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae
Cosmopterigidae is a family of insects in the Lepidoptera order. These are small moths with narrow wings whose tiny larvae feed internally on the leaves, seeds, stems, etc of their host plants. There are about 1,500 described species...
family. It is known from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(Mato Grosso do Sul).
Adults have been recorded in August.
Description
- See glossaryGlossary of Lepidopteran termsThis glossary describes the terms used in the formal descriptions of insect species, jargon used mostly by professionals or entomologist....
for terms used
Male. Forewing length 3.9 mm. Head: frons shining white, vertex and neck tufts shining ochreous-brown, laterally and medially lined white, collar ochreous-brown; labial palpus first segment very short, white, second segment four-fifths of the length of third, greyish brown with white longitudinal lines laterally and ventrally, third segment white, lined brown laterally, scape dorsally dark brown with a white anterior line, ochreous-white ventrally, antenna shining dark brown with a white interrupted line from base to beyond one-half with a short section uninterrupted at base, followed towards apex by a dark brown section of approximately fifteen segments, five white, one dark brown, three white and one dark brown segment at apex. Thorax and tegulae ochreous-brown, thorax with white median line, tegulae lined white inwardly. Legs: ochreous-grey, foreleg with a white line on tibia and tarsal segments one to three and five, tibia of midleg with white oblique basal and medial lines and a white apical ring, tarsal segments ochreous, segments three and four more grey, tibia of hindleg as midleg, tarsal segments one to three with indistinct ochreous apical rings, segments four and five entirely ochreous, spurs ochreous on outside, paler on inside. Forewing ochreous-brown, four white lines in the basal area, a subcostal from one-eighth to one-quarter, bending slightly from costa distally, a slightly oblique medial above fold, from one-sixth to one-third, a subdorsal just beyond the start of the medial almost to the transverse fascia, a dorsal opposite to the subcostal, a broad yellow transverse fascia beyond the middle, slightly narrowed towards dorsum with a short apical protrusion, bordered at the inner edge by a pale golden metallic fascia, narrowed towards costa, not reaching it and with a subcostal patch of blackish brown scales on the outside, bordered at the outer edge by two pale golden metallic costal and dorsal spots, the dorsal spot twice as large as the costal and more towards base, a white costal streak beyond outer costal spot, a white apical line to apex from beyond the apical protrusion, cilia ochreous-brown, ochreous-grey towards dorsum. Hindwing shining pale ochreous-grey, cilia ochreous-grey. Underside: forewing shining pale greyish ochreous, the white costal streak and the apical line in the cilia at apex indistinctly visible, hindwing shining pale grey. Abdomen dorsally shining ochreous-grey, ventrally shining pale grey, segments broadly banded shining white posteriorly, anal tuft white.
Etymology
The species is named after ThemistoThemisto (moon)
Themisto , also known as ', is a small prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. It was discovered in 1975, lost, and then rediscovered in 2000.- Discovery and naming :...
, a moon of Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
. To be treated as a noun in apposition.