''Cryptophasa argophanta'' is a
moth
Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...
in the family
Xyloryctidae
Xyloryctidae is a family of moths contained within the superfamily Gelechioidea described by Edward Meyrick in 1890. Most genera are found in the Indo-Australian region. While many of these moths are tiny, some members of the family grow to a wing ...
. It was described by
Edward Meyrick
Edward Meyrick (25 November 1854 – 31 March 1938) was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern microlepidoptera systematics.
Life and work
Ed ...
in 1917. It is found on
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
(
Yule Island
Yule Island is a small island in Central Province (Papua New Guinea), Central Province, Papua New Guinea. It is located NW from Port Moresby, on the south coast of Papua New Guinea.
History
Yule Island was probably named after Charles Bampfield ...
) and on the
Moluccas
The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West Melanesi ...
(
Ambon Island
Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of two territories: the city of Ambon, Maluku, Ambon to the south, and three districts (''k ...
).
The
wingspan
The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...
is about 38 mm. The forewings are shining white and the stigmata are black, the plical midway between the first and second discal, one or two black scales beneath the second discal and a marginal series of 12 or 13 black dots around the posterior part of the costa and termen. The hindwings are white.
''Exotic Microlepidoptera''. 2 (2): 55.
References
Cryptophasa
Moths described in 1917
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