''Sphecosoma melissa'' 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 subfamily

Arctiinae The Arctiinae (formerly called the family Arctiidae) are a large and diverse subfamily of moths with around 11,000 species found all over the world, including 6,000 neotropical species.Scoble, MJ. (1995). ''The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and D ...

. It was described by

William Schaus William Schaus (January 11, 1858, in New York City – June 20, 1942) was an American Entomology, entomologist who became known for his major contribution to the knowledge and description of new species of the Neotropical realm, Neotropical Lepido ...

in 1896. It is found in the Brazilian states of Santa Catarina and

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

References

* Moths described in 1896 Sphecosoma {{Euchromiina-stub