Axia (moth)
Genus of moths
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Axia, the gold moths, is a genus of moths whose precise relationships within the macrolepidoptera are currently uncertain, but they currently are placed within the superfamily Drepanoidea. Uniquely, they have a pair of pocket-like organs on the seventh abdominal spiracle of the adult moth[1] which are possibly sound receptive organs.[2] They are quite large and brightly coloured moths that occur only in southern Europe and feed on species of Euphorbia. Sometimes they are attracted to light.[1] The genus was first described by Jacob Hübner in 1821.
| Axia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Axia margarita | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Cimeliidae |
| Genus: | Axia Hübner, 1821 |
| Synonyms | |
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One species, Epicimelia theresiae, was formerly included in this genus, but has since been recognized as distinct; it represents the only other described genus in the family.[3]
Species
- Axia margarita (Hübner, 1813)
- Axia napoleona Schawerda, 1926
- Axia nesiota Reisser, 1962
- Axia olga (Staudinger, 1899)
- Axia vaulogeri Staudinger, 1892
