Mesoptila compsodes is a moth in the family Geometridae first described by Edward Meyrick in 1891.[1] It is found in Australia.[2] Mesoptila compsodes is the type species of the genus Mesoptila.[3]

Mesoptila compsodes
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Geometridae
Genus: Mesoptila
Species:
M. compsodes
Binomial name
Mesoptila compsodes
Meyrick, 1891

Description

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The following is paraphrased from the original species description:[4]

The wingspan of the female is 17 mm. Most of the body is pale ochreous, but the abdomen has dense black spots. The legs are whitish ochreous with the forelegs partially darkened.

The forewings are elongate and triangular with the costa moderately arched posteriorly and the hind margin bowed and waved. The colour is light reddish-ochreous with many whitish-ochreous, curved, transverse lines (some of these partially marked with black). There is a tuft of erect blackish scales in the middle of the disc and a small triangular blackish mark on the costa at two-thirds of its length.

The hindwings have nearly straight hind margins that are crenulate. They are fuscous-whitish in colour and marked with incomplete reddish-ochreous lines sprinkled with black.

All wings have an interrupted blackish line among the hind margin, and ochreous-whitish cilia that are somewhat sprinkled with black.

References

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  1. ^ Yu, Dicky Sick Ki. "Mesoptila compsodes Meyrick 1891". Home of Ichneumonoidea. Taxapad. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016.
  2. ^ Mironov, V. G. & Galsworthy, A. C. (2012). "A generic level review of Eupithecia Curtis and some closely related genera based on the Palaearctic, Nearctic and Oriental fauna (Lepidoptera, Geometridae, Larentiinae)". Zootaxa. 3587: 46-64.
  3. ^ Pitkin, Brian & Jenkins, Paul. "Search results Subfamily: Larentiinae". Butterflies and Moths of the World. Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  4. ^ Meyrick, Edward (1891). "Revision of Australian Lepidoptera". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 5: 791–879. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.18666. ISSN 0370-047X.