''Mabra'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 ...

s of the family

Crambidae Crambidae comprises the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, with the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies ...

. It is placed in the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Portentomorphini Portentomorphini is a tribe of the subfamily Pyraustinae in the pyraloid moth family Crambidae. The tribe was initially erected by Hans Georg Amsel in 1956. Description Adult Portentomorphini are relatively small moths with a forewing le ...

of the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Pyraustinae Pyraustinae is a large subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. It currently includes about 1,280 species Most of them tropical but some found in temperate regions including both North America and Europe. The Pyra ...

. The nine species of the genus are mainly distributed in tropical

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, but '' M. metallescens'' and '' M. russoi'' are found in tropical Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. The

larval A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

host plant is known for only one species, '' M. eryxalis'', which feeds on ''

Phyllanthus urinaria ''Phyllanthus'' is the largest genus in the plant family Phyllanthaceae. Estimates of the number of species in this genus vary widely, from 750David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book.'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University ...

'' in the

Phyllanthaceae Phyllanthaceae is a Family (biology), family of flowering plants in the eudicot Order (biology), order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae.Kenneth J. Wurdack and Charles C. Davis. 2009. "Malpighiales phylogeneti ...

family.

Species

*'' Mabra elephantophila'' Bänziger, 1985 *'' Mabra eryxalis'' (Walker, 1859) *'' Mabra fauculalis'' Walker, 1859 *'' Mabra fuscipennalis'' Hampson, 1897 *'' Mabra haematophaga'' Bänziger, 1985 *'' Mabra lacriphaga'' Bänziger, 1985 *'' Mabra metallescens'' (C. Felder, R. Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875) *'' Mabra nigriscripta'' Swinhoe, 1895 *'' Mabra russoi'' Schaus, 1940

Former species

*'' Mabra charonialis'' (Walker, 1859), now placed in '' Dolicharthria'' *'' Mabra garzettalis'' (C. Felder, R. Felder & Rogenhofer, 1875), now placed in '' Blepharomastix''

References

Crambidae genus list
at ''Butterflies and Moths of the World'' of the Natural History Museum Pyraustinae Crambidae genera Taxa named by Frederic Moore {{Pyraustinae-stub