Chrysophyllis
Encyclopedia
Chrysophyllis is a genus
of the grass moth family
(Crambidae). It is monotypic
, containing the single species C. lucivaga. This moth is very little-known, having only been recorded once, before 1935. It belongs to the large grass moth subfamily Spilomelinae
; at the time of its description, these were still included in subfamily Pyraustinae
and the entire Crambidae was then merged with the snout moths (family Pyralidae). While its exact relationships are undetermined, it is believed to be a close relative of Talanga
(but see below). Like in these (and in some other, unrelated, moths), the male genitalia of C. lucivaga feature a remarkably elongated aedeagus
shaped like a bullwhip
.
This moth is presumed to be endemic to Hiva Oa
, in the Marquesas Islands
of Polynesia
. The only known specimen, a male, was collected on Kaava Ridge, about 750 m (2460 ft) ASL
; it is now in the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, but the genitals have been extracted for examination and are mounted on a microscopic slide in the USNM collection (specimen USNM 25242).
It is a smallish moth with rather short antenna
e. Unlike in many other Spilomelinae, the wings lack translucent areas. Characteristically, a bunch of hairs sticks out from under the labial palps. Of the remarkable genitals, the clasper's harpe is very wide and stubby, with a sclerotized curved process emerging from the center. A similar feature is found at the tip of the sacculus, which by itself is only slightly sclerotized. The cucullus is rounded, and a bunch of bristles is located inside the base of the costa
. The uncus forms another long, slim and curved process. The vinculum is rounded, the tegumen longish with a truncated hind end, and the anellus is a sclerotized plate, also curved and slender. The striking aedeagus
is shaped like a coiled whip, consisting of a long and tapering "thong" and ending in a shorter and thin "fall" section.
The function of this structure during copulation is unknown. However, there are a few moths with similarly elongated whip-like aedeagi, and in these the female's ductus bursae is long and coiled to accommodate the aedeagus.
A similar aedeagus is known from South Asia
n moths of the genus Talanga
, which are suspected to be closely related. In the same general region, at least some species of Pygospila
(e.g. the type species
P. tyres
, a widespread Australasia
n moth) show a similar development. But the moths of the Marquesas Islands also contain a number of America
n species, and it may be from among these rather than Australasian stock that Chrysophyllis evolve
d. Elongated aeadagi are known or suspected in certain Diaphania
and perhaps Stemorrhages
and maybe some other grass moths of the Americas. Other than in all these Spilomelinae, a whip-like aedeagus is apparently unknown except from the unrelated
Arrhenophanidae
, which unlike the rather advanced grass moths are tiny animals, among the most primitive of the Ditrysia
.
Nothing is known about this species' ecology. It is most likely that it occurs in the more or less densely wooded habitat
of upland Hiva Oa. This features species like for example Bidens henryi, Cheirodendron bastardianum, Pandanus
, and East Polynesian Blueberry (Vaccinium cereum), in addition to numerous other shrub
s, fern
s, moss
es and lichen
s.
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 the grass moth 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...
(Crambidae). It is 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...
, containing the single species C. lucivaga. This moth is very little-known, having only been recorded once, before 1935. It belongs to the large grass moth subfamily Spilomelinae
Spilomelinae
Spilomelinae is a very large subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. They were formerly included in the Pyraustinae as tribe Spilomelini; furthermore taxonomists' opinions differ as to the correct placement of the Crambidae, some authorities treating them as a...
; at the time of its description, these were still included in subfamily Pyraustinae
Pyraustinae
Pyraustinae is a large subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. It currently includes over 1,400 species, the majority of them tropical but some found in temperate regions including both North America and Europe....
and the entire Crambidae was then merged with the snout moths (family Pyralidae). While its exact relationships are undetermined, it is believed to be a close relative of Talanga
Talanga (moth)
Talanga is a genus of moths of the Crambidae family.-Species:*Talanga iridomelaena Munroe, 1968*Talanga nubilosa Munroe, 1968*Talanga sabacusalis *Talanga sexpunctalis...
(but see below). Like in these (and in some other, unrelated, moths), the male genitalia of C. lucivaga feature a remarkably elongated aedeagus
Aedeagus
An aedeagus is a reproductive organ of male insects through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation with a female insect...
shaped like a bullwhip
Bullwhip
A bullwhip is a single-tailed whip, usually made of braided leather, which was originally used as a tool for working with livestock.Bullwhips are pastoral tools, traditionally used to control livestock in open country...
.
This moth is presumed to be endemic to Hiva Oa
Hiva Oa
Hiva Oa is the second largest island in the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is the largest island of the Southern Marquesas group. According to local religion, the gods created the islands as their home. Therefore all islands have...
, in the Marquesas Islands
Marquesas Islands
The Marquesas Islands enana and Te Fenua `Enata , both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...
of Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. The only known specimen, a male, was collected on Kaava Ridge, about 750 m (2460 ft) ASL
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
; it is now in the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, but the genitals have been extracted for examination and are mounted on a microscopic slide in the USNM collection (specimen USNM 25242).
It is a smallish moth with rather short antenna
Antenna (biology)
Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....
e. Unlike in many other Spilomelinae, the wings lack translucent areas. Characteristically, a bunch of hairs sticks out from under the labial palps. Of the remarkable genitals, the clasper's harpe is very wide and stubby, with a sclerotized curved process emerging from the center. A similar feature is found at the tip of the sacculus, which by itself is only slightly sclerotized. The cucullus is rounded, and a bunch of bristles is located inside the base of the costa
Costa
Costa may refer to:* Costa , including origin of the name and people sharing the surname* Costa, scientific term, from Latin costa "rib" ** In botany, the central strand of a bryophyte leaf or thallus...
. The uncus forms another long, slim and curved process. The vinculum is rounded, the tegumen longish with a truncated hind end, and the anellus is a sclerotized plate, also curved and slender. The striking aedeagus
Aedeagus
An aedeagus is a reproductive organ of male insects through which they secrete sperm from the testes during copulation with a female insect...
is shaped like a coiled whip, consisting of a long and tapering "thong" and ending in a shorter and thin "fall" section.
The function of this structure during copulation is unknown. However, there are a few moths with similarly elongated whip-like aedeagi, and in these the female's ductus bursae is long and coiled to accommodate the aedeagus.
A similar aedeagus is known from South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n moths of the genus Talanga
Talanga (moth)
Talanga is a genus of moths of the Crambidae family.-Species:*Talanga iridomelaena Munroe, 1968*Talanga nubilosa Munroe, 1968*Talanga sabacusalis *Talanga sexpunctalis...
, which are suspected to be closely related. In the same general region, at least some species of Pygospila
Pygospila
Pygospila is a genus of moths of the Crambidae family.-Species:*Pygospila bivittalis Walker, 1866*Pygospila costiflexalis Guenée, 1854*Pygospila cuprealis Swinhoe, 1892*Pygospila hyalotypa Turner, 1908...
(e.g. the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
P. tyres
Pygospila tyres
Pygospila tyres is a species of moth of the Crambidae family. It is found in the rainforests of south-east Asia, including Hong Kong, India, Thailand and Queensland in Australia.The wingspan is about 40 mm.-External links:*...
, a widespread Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
n moth) show a similar development. But the moths of the Marquesas Islands also contain a number of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n species, and it may be from among these rather than Australasian stock that Chrysophyllis evolve
Evolve
Evolve may refer to:*evolution, incremental change over time*Evolve on The History Channel*Evolve Festival, an annual music and cultural festival held in Nova Scotia, Canada...
d. Elongated aeadagi are known or suspected in certain Diaphania
Diaphania
Diaphania is a genus of moths of the Crambidae family.-Species:*Diaphania adelalis *Diaphania albianalis *Diaphania albicincta *Diaphania albifascialis...
and perhaps Stemorrhages
Stemorrhages
Stemorrhages is a genus of moths of the Crambidae family.-Species:*Stemorrhages amphitritalis *Stemorrhages euthalassa *Stemorrhages exaula*Stemorrhages marthesiusalis...
and maybe some other grass moths of the Americas. Other than in all these Spilomelinae, a whip-like aedeagus is apparently unknown except from the unrelated
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
Arrhenophanidae
Arrhenophanidae
Arrhenophanidae is a family of moths in the Lepidoptera order.-Genera:* Arrhenophanes* Cnissostages* Dysoptus* Notiophanes* Palaeophanes...
, which unlike the rather advanced grass moths are tiny animals, among the most primitive of the Ditrysia
Ditrysia
The Ditrysia are a natural group or clade of insects in the Lepidopteran order containing both butterflies and moths. They are so named because the female has two distinct sexual openings: one for mating, and the other for laying eggs .About 98% of described species of Lepidoptera belong to Ditrysia...
.
Nothing is known about this species' ecology. It is most likely that it occurs in the more or less densely wooded habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
of upland Hiva Oa. This features species like for example Bidens henryi, Cheirodendron bastardianum, Pandanus
Pandanus
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. They are numerous palmlike dioecious trees and shrubs native of the Old World tropics and subtropics. They are classified in the order Pandanales, family Pandanaceae.-Overview:...
, and East Polynesian Blueberry (Vaccinium cereum), in addition to numerous other shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s, fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es and lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s.