Schiffermuelleria
Encyclopedia
Schiffermuelleria is a genus
of gelechioid moths. It is placed in the subfamily Oecophorinae
of family
Oecophoridae
. The genus is presently treated as monotypic
, with the single species
Schiffermuelleria schaefferella placed here. As such, its distinctness from the closely related genus Borkhausenia
– where S. schaefferella was often placed in the past – is open to debate.
Earlier authors, by contrast, included many other species of Borkhausenia here, as well as some species nowadays placed in Denisia
. Today, if anything Schiffermuellerina (established only in 1989) is included in Schiffermuelleria as a subgenus
. But although they are certainly similar at a casual glance, the placement of Schiffermuellerina among the Oecophoridae is not yet resolved in sufficient detail, and it may well be more distinct.
The caterpillar
s of this moth develop in rotting wood, on which they feed.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of gelechioid moths. It is placed in the subfamily Oecophorinae
Oecophorinae
| image = Philobota1.jpg| image_width = 250px| image_caption = Adult of Philobota arabella or a related species,Aranda | regnum = Animalia| phylum = Arthropoda| classis = Insecta| ordo = Lepidoptera| subordo = Glossata| infraordo = Heteroneura...
of family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae
Oecophoridae is a family of small moths in the superfamily Gelechioidea. The phylogeny and systematics of gelechoid moths are still not fully resolved, and the circumscription of the Oecophoridae is strongly affected by this....
. The genus is presently treated as monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
, with the single species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
Schiffermuelleria schaefferella placed here. As such, its distinctness from the closely related genus Borkhausenia
Borkhausenia
Borkhausenia is a genus of the concealer moth family . Among these, it belongs to subfamily Oecophorinae, wherein it is probably closely related to Hofmannophila . In the past, several other Oecophoridae have been included in Borkhausenia, as well as a few even more distant members of the...
– where S. schaefferella was often placed in the past – is open to debate.
Earlier authors, by contrast, included many other species of Borkhausenia here, as well as some species nowadays placed in Denisia
Denisia
Denisia is a genus of the concealer moth family . Among these, it belongs to subfamily Oecophorinae. It was originally established as a subgenus of Borkhausenia.-Selected species:Species of Denisia include:...
. Today, if anything Schiffermuellerina (established only in 1989) is included in Schiffermuelleria as a subgenus
Subgenus
In biology, a subgenus is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.In zoology, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between the generic name and the specific epithet: e.g. the Tiger Cowry of the Indo-Pacific, Cypraea tigris Linnaeus, which...
. But although they are certainly similar at a casual glance, the placement of Schiffermuellerina among the Oecophoridae is not yet resolved in sufficient detail, and it may well be more distinct.
The caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s of this moth develop in rotting wood, on which they feed.