''Tetracona'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of snout moths in the subfamily

Spilomelinae Spilomelinae is a very species-rich subfamily of the lepidopteran family Crambidae, the crambid snout moths. With 4,135 described species in 344 genera worldwide, it is the most speciose group among pyraloids. Description Imagines – the adu ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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

. The genus was described by

Edward Meyrick Edward Meyrick (25 November 1854, in Ramsbury – 31 March 1938, at Thornhanger, Marlborough) was an English schoolmaster and amateur entomologist. He was an expert on microlepidoptera and some consider him one of the founders of modern m ...

in 1884 with ''Aediodes amathealis'' Walker, 1859 as

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

. The genus was long treated as a synonym of ''

Agrotera Agrotera ( Gr. , "the huntress") was an epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis, the most important goddess to Attic hunters. At Agrae on the Ilissos, where she was believed to have first hunted after her arrival from Delos, Artemis Agrotera had a ...

'', but a recent

taxonomic revision In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon) and these groups are give ...

of ''Agrotera'' resulted in the re-instatement of ''Tetracona''. The genus 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 usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

Agroterini Agroterini is a tribe of the species-rich subfamily Spilomelinae in the pyraloid moth family Crambidae. The tribe was erected by Alexandre Noël Charles Acloque in 1897. Genera Agroterini currently contains 30 genera, altogether comprising 43 ...

based on the structure of the uncus, featuring a broad base and simple chaetae on the uncus head, a well-developed medial process of the gnathos, the rectangular, elongate valvae with parallel costal and ventral margins, and the notably elongate saccus (at least in ''T. amathealis''). The genus with its three species is known from Australia,

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

and China. The

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larva, larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterfly, butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawfly ...

s of ''Tetracona amathealis'' are recorded from ''

Eucalyptus tereticornis ''Eucalyptus tereticornis'', commonly known as forest red gum, blue gum or red irongum, is a species of tree that is native to eastern Australia and southern New Guinea. It has smooth bark, lance-shaped to curved adult leaves, flower buds in grou ...

'' in the

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All spe ...

Species

*'' Tetracona amathealis'' (Walker, 1859) *'' Tetracona multispina'' Jie & Li in Jie et al. 2020 *''

Tetracona pictalis ''Tetracona pictalis'' is a species of snout moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by William Warren in 1896. It is found in Australia, where it has been recorded in Queensland. The habitat consists of rainforests. The wingspan is ...

'' Warren, 1896

References

Crambidae {{Agroterini-stub