Acsala
Genus of moths
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Acsala is a monotypic genus of lichen moth in the monotypic subtribe Acsalina of the family Erebidae. Its single species, Acsala anomala, has Hodges number 8104.1[1] and is known from the US (Alaska) and Canada (Yukon).[2]
| Acsala | |
|---|---|
| |
| Acsala anomala | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
| Tribe: | Lithosiini |
| Subtribe: | Acsalina Bendib and Minet, 1999 |
| Genus: | Acsala Benjamin, 1935 |
| Species: | A. anomala |
| Binomial name | |
| Acsala anomala Benjamin, 1935 | |
Behavior
Eggs are deposited in a single layer on the underside of rocks, in batches of up to thirty, and take eight to ten days to hatch.[3] Larvae feed on rock-growing lichens, with a strong preference for black foliose and crustose lichens.[3] Species of Buellia, Lecidea, Orphniospora, Parmelia and Umbilicaria have been recorded as food sources.[2][3]
Adult males possess weak flight and are day-active; females are flightless and spend much of their time under rocks.[3]
Appearance
Taxonomy
Acsala anomala and its genus were both first described by Foster H. Benjamin in 1935.[4][5] Subtribe Acsalina was introduced in 1983 by Franclemont, but remained a nomen nudum until a formal description was given in 1999 by Amel Bendib and Joël Minet.[2]