Praeacedes is a monotypic moth genus in the family Tineidae first described by Hans Georg Amsel in 1954. Its only species, Praeacedes atomosella, was first described by Francis Walker in 1863. It has a wide range and has been recorded from Europe (the Canary Islands, Cyprus and Malta[1]), Australia, Hawaii,[2] India, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, Easter Island, Mauritius, Madagascar, Réunion,[3] South America and North America. The species has commonly been misidentified in various parts of the world.

Praeacedes
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Tineidae
Subfamily: Tineinae
Genus: Praeacedes
Amsel, 1954
Species:
P. atomosella
Binomial name
Praeacedes atomosella
(Walker, 1863)
Synonyms

Genus:

  • Antitinea Amsel, 1955
  • Titaenoses Hinton & Bradley, 1956

Species:

  • Tinea atomosella Walker, 1863
  • Tinea decui Capuse & Georgescu, 1977
  • Antitinea deluccae Amsel, 1955
  • Praeacedes deluccae
  • Tinea despecta Meyrick, 1919
  • Tinea malgassica Gozmány, 1970
  • Tinea seminolella Beutenmüller, 1889
  • Tinea thecophora Walsingham, 1908
  • Praeacedes thecophora
  • Titaenoses thecophora

The larvae appear to feed on insect detritus and potentially also on mites,[3] and earlier records of them feeding on pigeon dung[2] might be erroneous.[3] The larvae create brown larval cases. Pupation takes place within this case which serves as its cocoon. When the moth issues the pupa is extruded.

References edit

  1. ^ Fauna Europaea
  2. ^ a b Zimmerman, Elwood C. (1978). Insects of Hawaii. Vol. 9 Microlepidoptera. The University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu. hdl:10125/7338.
  3. ^ a b c Bippus, Maik (2016). "Praeacedes atomosella (Walker, 1863) and Phereoeca praecox Gozmány & Vári, 1973 - two case-bearing moths new to the Fauna of La Réunion (Lepidoptera: Tineidae)". Contributions to Entomology. 66 (2): 159–163. doi:10.21248/contrib.entomol.66.2.159-1.

External links edit